Which to use
“contrariar” is a verb and “contrário” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,293
- “contrariar” frequency rank
- #1,026
- “contrário” frequency rank
- 19319
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contrariar | contrário |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | contradizer | oposto |
Where the eye mixes contrariar and contrário
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. contrariar runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCVVC) against contrário's 9 (CVCCCVCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: contrariar vs contrário
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contrariar is /kõ.tɾɐ.ˈɾjaɾ/ while contrário is /kõ.ˈtɾa.ɾju/. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19319, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contrariar is recorded at frequency rank #18,293, classified as averb, pronounced /kõ.tɾɐ.ˈɾjaɾ/. contrário is at rank #1,026, tagged as anadj, pronounced /kõ.ˈtɾa.ɾju/.
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 19319, this pair ranks #51,427 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contrariar vs contrário
Shared letters: cinort. Private to "contrariar": a. Private to "contrário": á.
"contrariar" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVVC · "contrário" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- contrariar ← ccontrariar · cnotrariar · conntrariar · conrtariar · contarriar · contrairar · contrarair · contrariarr
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "contrariar" for "contrário" ever safe?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "contrariar" or "contrário" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "contrariar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contrário" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #51,427 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contrariar" and "contrário" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contagiar vs contrariar". 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 #51,427 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.