Which to use
“retains” is a verb and “retards” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,314
- “retains” frequency rank
- #33,396
- “retards” frequency rank
- 45710
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retains | retards |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | third-person singular simple present indicative of retain | plural of retard |
Where the eye mixes retains and retards
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses retains with retards
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: retains is /ɹɪˈteɪnz/ while retards is /ɹɪˈtɑː(ɹ)dz/. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45710, 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/. retards is at rank #33,396, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪˈtɑː(ɹ)dz/.
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 45710, this pair ranks #218,678 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retains vs retards
Shared letters: aerst. Private to "retains": in. Private to "retards": d.
"retains" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC · "retards" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "retains" and "retards" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary English text, does "retains" or "retards" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "retains" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retards" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #218,678 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retains" and "retards" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Renard vs retards". 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 #218,678 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.