Which to use
“retail” is a noun and “retake” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,757
- “retail” frequency rank
- #20,209
- “retake” frequency rank
- 22966
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retail | retake |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The sale of goods directly to the consumer, encompassing the storefronts, mail-order, websites, etc., and the corporate mechanisms, branding, advertising, etc. that support them. | To take something again. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set retail and retake apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: retail is /ˈɹiˌteɪl/ while retake is /ɹiːˈteɪk/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22966, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retail is recorded at frequency rank #2,757, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈɹiˌteɪl/. retake is at rank #20,209, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹiːˈteɪk/.
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 22966, this pair ranks #412,730 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of retail vs retake
Shared letters: aert. Private to "retail": il. Private to "retake": k.
"retail" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "retake" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "retail" and "retake" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "retail" or "retake"?
Remembering retail vs retake
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “retail”; for a verb, it's “retake”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “retail” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable