Which to use
“contre” is a preposition and “controle” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,771
- “contre” frequency rank
- #627
- “controle” frequency rank
- 46398
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | contre | controle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | contra, encostado em, perto de, próximo a: | racionalização, fiscalização |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set contre and controle apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
contre and controle form a confusable pair in the Portuguese index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46398, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
contre is recorded at frequency rank #45,771, classified as aprep, pronounced /kɔ̃tʁ/. controle is at rank #627, tagged as anoun, pronounced /kõ.ˈtɾo.li/.
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 46398, this pair ranks #18,903 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "contre" and "controle" be used interchangeably?
Remembering contre vs controle
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “contre”; for a noun, it's “controle”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “contre” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable