Which to use
“contramão” is an adjective and “contratar” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,548
- “contramão” frequency rank
- #5,931
- “contratar” frequency rank
- 24479
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contramão | contratar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que está na contramão (substantivo) | combinar, ajustar |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contramão and contratar apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contramão is /ˌkõw.tɾa.ˈmãw/ while contratar is /kõ.tɾɐ.ˈtaɾ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24479, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contramão is recorded at frequency rank #18,548, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˌkõw.tɾa.ˈmãw/. 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 24479, this pair ranks #45,128 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contramão vs contratar
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contramão": mã. Private to "contratar": -.
"contramão" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVV · "contratar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- contratar ← ccontratar · cnotratar · conntratar · conrtatar · contartar · contraatr · contratarr · contratra
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contramão" and "contratar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "contramão" or "contratar"?
Remembering contramão vs contratar
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “contramão”; for a verb, it's “contratar”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contramão” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable