Which to use
“require” and “retire” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,736
- “require” frequency rank
- #6,613
- “retire” frequency rank
- 8349
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | require | retire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To demand, to insist upon (having); to call for authoritatively. | To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness. |
Where the eye mixes require and retire
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between require and retire
A purely visual mix-up. require (/ɹɪˈkwaɪə/) and retire (/ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ)/) 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 8349, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
require is recorded at frequency rank #1,736, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈkwaɪə/. retire is at rank #6,613, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ)/.
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 8349, this pair ranks #502,941 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of require vs retire
Shared letters: eir. Private to "require": qu. Private to "retire": t.
"require" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "retire" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "require" for "retire" ever safe?
Which is more common, "require" or "retire"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "require" and "retire" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "require" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retire" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #502,941 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "require" and "retire" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retire vs retry". 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 #502,941 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.