A contract is a binding agreement; to contract is to shrink or to catch an illness. A contrast is a clear difference between things compared; to contrast is to set them side by side to show it. Sign the contract; in contrast to last year. The endings — tract and trast — are the whole difference.
The core difference
- contract — noun: a legal agreement. A two-year contract. Verb: to shrink, metal contracts as it cools; to catch, contract flu; to agree formally, contracted to build.
- contrast — noun: a striking difference; the range between light and dark in an image. A sharp contrast, by contrast, turn up the contrast. Verb: to compare so as to show differences. Contrast the two approaches.
The tell
Contrast carries contra, "against" — things set against each other. Contract carries tract, "draw" — parties drawn together, or a muscle drawing in. The set phrases belong firmly to one side: by contrast, in contrast to, compare and contrast; under contract, breach of contract. Both words stress the first syllable as nouns and the second as verbs.
In use
- contract — The contract runs until June. Muscles contract and relax.
- contrast — By contrast, sales rose in the north. The contrast between them is stark.
Common slips
- by contract, sales fell → by contrast, sales fell
- signed a two-year contrast → signed a two-year contract
Contra is against; tract is draw.
Where the words come from
Contract is from Latin contractus, "drawn together", from trahere "to draw". Contrast is from Latin contra "against" plus stare "to stand" — to stand against — through Italian contrastare and French contraster, arriving in English as a painters' term for juxtaposed colours before widening to any difference.
Frequently asked questions
Is it "by contract" or "by contrast"?
By contrast — on the other hand. By contract would mean under the terms of an agreement, which is a different phrase.
What does contrast mean on a screen?
The range between the darkest and lightest parts of the image. High contrast means strong blacks and bright whites.
How are contract and contrast pronounced?
Both stress the first syllable as nouns — CON-tract, CON-trast — and the second as verbs — con-TRACT, con-TRAST.