Which to use
“retainer” is a noun and “retains” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,886
- “retainer” frequency rank
- #12,314
- “retains” frequency rank
- 37200
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retainer | retains |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Any thing or person that retains. | third-person singular simple present indicative of retain |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set retainer and retains 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: retainer is /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/ while retains is /ɹɪˈteɪnz/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37200, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retainer is recorded at frequency rank #24,886, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/. retains is at rank #12,314, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈteɪnz/.
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 37200, this pair ranks #296,555 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retainer vs retains
Shared letters: aeinrt. Private to "retainer": -. Private to "retains": s.
"retainer" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCVC · "retains" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "retainer" and "retains" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "retainer" or "retains"?
Remembering retainer vs retains
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “retainer”; for a verb, it's “retains”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “retainer” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable