Which to use
“retain” is a verb and “retainer” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,541
- “retain” frequency rank
- #24,886
- “retainer” frequency rank
- 30427
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retain | retainer |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Often followed by from: to hold back (someone or something); to check, to prevent, to restrain, to stop. | Any thing or person that retains. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set retain and retainer apart are highlighted. They share 6 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: retain is /ɹɪˈteɪn/ while retainer is /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “retain” sits inside “retainer”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30427, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retain is recorded at frequency rank #5,541, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈteɪn/. retainer is at rank #24,886, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/.
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 30427, this pair ranks #354,653 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retain vs retainer
Shared letters: aeinrt. Private to "retain": -. Private to "retainer": -.
"retain" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "retainer" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "retain" and "retainer" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "retain" or "retainer"?
Remembering retain vs retainer
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “retain”; for a noun, it's “retainer”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “retain” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable