Which to use
“contacto” and “contrato” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,803
- “contacto” frequency rank
- #1,356
- “contrato” frequency rank
- 6159
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contacto | contrato |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | o fato de contactar | ato ou efeito de contratar |
Where the eye mixes contacto and contrato
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. contacto (CVCCVCCV) and contrato (CVCCCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between contacto and contrato
A purely visual mix-up. contacto (/kõ.ˈtak.tu/) and contrato (/kõ.ˈtɾa.tu/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6159, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contacto is recorded at frequency rank #4,803, classified as anoun, pronounced /kõ.ˈtak.tu/. contrato is at rank #1,356, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kõ.ˈtɾa.tu/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 6159, this pair ranks #68,327 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contacto vs contrato
Shared letters: acnot. Private to "contacto": -. Private to "contrato": r.
"contacto" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCCV · "contrato" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contacto" for "contrato" ever safe?
Frequency check: "contacto" vs "contrato" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "contacto" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contrato" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #68,327 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contacto" and "contrato" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contrapor vs contrato". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #68,327 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.