Which to use
“contrariar” and “contratar” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #18,293
- “contrariar” frequency rank
- #5,931
- “contratar” frequency rank
- 24224
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contrariar | contratar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | contradizer | combinar, ajustar |
Where the eye mixes contrariar and contratar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. contrariar runs 10 letters (CVCCCVCVVC) against contratar's 9 (CVCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: contrariar vs contratar
A purely visual mix-up. contrariar (/kõ.tɾɐ.ˈɾjaɾ/) 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 24224, 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/. 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 24224, this pair ranks #45,445 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of contrariar vs contratar
Shared letters: acnort. Private to "contrariar": i. Private to "contratar": -.
"contrariar" · 10 letters · shape CVCCCVCVVC · "contratar" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- contrariar ← ccontrariar · cnotrariar · conntrariar · conrtariar · contarriar · contrairar · contrarair · contrariarr
- contratar ← ccontratar · cnotratar · conntratar · conrtatar · contartar · contraatr · contratarr · contratra
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contrariar" and "contratar" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "contrariar" vs "contratar" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "contrariar" 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 #45,445 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contrariar" and "contratar" 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 #45,445 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.