Which to use
“contrair” and “contratar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,925
- “contrair” frequency rank
- #5,931
- “contratar” frequency rank
- 28856
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contrair | contratar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | estreitar | combinar, ajustar |
Where the eye mixes contrair and contratar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses contrair with contratar
A purely visual mix-up. contrair (/kõ.tɾɐ.ˈiɾ/) and contratar (/kõ.tɾɐ.ˈtaɾ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 28856, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contrair is recorded at frequency rank #22,925, classified as averb, pronounced /kõ.tɾɐ.ˈiɾ/. contratar is at rank #5,931, tagged as averb, pronounced /kõ.tɾɐ.ˈtaɾ/.
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 28856, this pair ranks #39,906 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contrair vs contratar
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contrair": i. Private to "contratar": -.
"contrair" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVVC · "contratar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contrair" for "contratar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "contrair" or "contratar"?
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 "contrair" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contratar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #39,906 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contrair" and "contratar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contrair vs contrapor". 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 #39,906 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.