Which to use
“retains” is a verb and “retaking” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,314
- “retains” frequency rank
- #49,592
- “retaking” frequency rank
- 61906
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retains | retaking |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of retain | The act of taking again. |
Letter map: retains vs retaking
Shared letters muted; letters that set retains and retaking apart highlighted. Shared run: 6. retains runs 7 letters (CVCVVCC) against retaking's 8 (CVCVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Role in the sentence - retains and retaking
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: retains is averb and retakinganoun. On the page they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 61906, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retains is recorded at frequency rank #12,314, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈteɪnz/. retaking is at rank #49,592, tagged as anoun.
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 61906, this pair ranks #91,480 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of retains vs retaking
Shared letters: aeinrt. Private to "retains": s. Private to "retaking": gk.
"retains" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC · "retaking" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "retains" and "retaking" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "retains" or "retaking"?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "retains" and "retaking".
- Full dictionary entry for "retains" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retaking" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #91,480 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retains" and "retaking" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retaking vs revoking". 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 #91,480 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.