competition and contest share a recorded sense, so the question is not what they mean but which one fits. competition means “a business relation in which two parties compete to gain customers”. contest means “an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants”. competition is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ˌkɑmpəˈtɪʃən/
1.n.a business relation in which two parties compete to gain customers
“business competition can be fiendish at times”
2.n.an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
3.n.the act of competing as for profit or a prize
“the teams were in fierce contention for first place”
| competition | contest | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ˌkɑmpəˈtɪʃən/ | /ˈkɑntɛst/ |
| Said | kahm-puh-TISH-uhn | KAHN-test |
| Syllables | 4 | 2 |
| Letters | 11 | 7 |
| Parts of speech | noun | noun, verb |
| Senses | 4 | 3 |
| How common | Core | Common |
| Synonyms | none recorded | competition |
Full entry for competition · Full entry for contest · More comparisons
/ˈkɑntɛst/
1.n.an occasion on which a winner is selected from among two or more contestants
2.n.a struggle between rivals
3.v.to make the subject of dispute, contention, or litigation
“They contested the outcome of the race”