Which to use
“retire” is a verb and “retired” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,613
- “retire” frequency rank
- #3,390
- “retired” frequency rank
- 10003
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retire | retired |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To stop working on a permanent basis, usually because of old age or illness. | Secluded from society (of a lifestyle, activity etc.); private, quiet. |
Where the eye mixes retire and retired
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between retire and retired
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: retire is /ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ)/ while retired is /ɹɪˈtaɪəd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “retire” sits inside “retired”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10003, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retire is recorded at frequency rank #6,613, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ)/. retired is at rank #3,390, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɹɪˈtaɪəd/.
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 10003, this pair ranks #494,525 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of retire vs retired
Shared letters: eirt. Private to "retire": -. Private to "retired": d.
"retire" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "retired" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "retire" for "retired" ever safe?
Which is more common, "retire" or "retired"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "retire" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retired" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #494,525 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retire" and "retired" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retire vs retry". 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 #494,525 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.