Which to use
“contramão” is an adjective and “contrato” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,548
- “contramão” frequency rank
- #1,356
- “contrato” frequency rank
- 19904
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contramão | contrato |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | que está na contramão (substantivo) | ato ou efeito de contratar |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contramão and contrato apart are highlighted. They share 7 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 contrato is /kõ.ˈtɾa.tu/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19904, 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/. 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 19904, this pair ranks #50,718 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contramão vs contrato
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contramão": mã. Private to "contrato": -.
"contramão" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVV · "contrato" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- contrato ← ccontrato · cnotrato · conntrato · conrtato · contarto · contraot · contratto · contrrato
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contramão" and "contrato" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "contramão" or "contrato"?
Remembering contramão vs contrato
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “contramão”; for a noun, it's “contrato”.
- 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