Which to use
“refrain” and “retain” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #12,486
- “refrain” frequency rank
- #5,541
- “retain” frequency rank
- 18027
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | refrain | retain |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To hold back, to restrain (someone or something). | Often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop. |
Where the eye mixes refrain and retain
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between refrain and retain
A purely visual mix-up. refrain (/ɹɪˈfɹeɪn/) and retain (/ɹɪˈteɪn/) 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 18027, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
refrain is recorded at frequency rank #12,486, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈfɹeɪn/. retain is at rank #5,541, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈteɪn/.
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 18027, this pair ranks #447,593 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of refrain vs retain
Shared letters: aeinr. Private to "refrain": f. Private to "retain": t.
"refrain" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "retain" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "refrain" and "retain" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "refrain" or "retain"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "refrain" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retain" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #447,593 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "refrain" and "retain" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "redrawn vs refrain". 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 #447,593 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.