Which to use
“contrário” is an adjective and “contrato” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,026
- “contrário” frequency rank
- #1,356
- “contrato” frequency rank
- 2382
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contrário | contrato |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | oposto | ato ou efeito de contratar |
Where the eye mixes contrário and contrato
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. contrário runs 9 letters (CVCCCVCVV) against contrato's 8 (CVCCCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between contrário and contrato
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: contrário is /kõ.ˈtɾa.ɾju/ 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 2382, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contrário is recorded at frequency rank #1,026, classified as anadj, pronounced /kõ.ˈtɾa.ɾju/. 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 2382, this pair ranks #73,027 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of contrário vs contrato
Shared letters: cnort. Private to "contrário": iá. Private to "contrato": a.
"contrário" · 9 letters · shape CVCCCVCVV · "contrato" · 8 letters · shape CVCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- contrato ← ccontrato · cnotrato · conntrato · conrtato · contarto · contraot · contratto · contrrato
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contrário" and "contrato" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary Portuguese text, does "contrário" or "contrato" show up more?
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 "contrário" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "contrato" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #73,027 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "contrário" and "contrato" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "contrapor vs contrato". 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 #73,027 of 75,631 scored Portuguese pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.