Which to use
“retort” is a noun and “retorted” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #33,397
- “retort” frequency rank
- #43,880
- “retorted” frequency rank
- 77277
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retort | retorted |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A sharp or witty reply, or one which turns an argument against its originator; a comeback. | simple past and past participle of retort |
Where the eye mixes retort and retorted
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses retort with retorted
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: retort is /ɹɪˈtɔɹt/ while retorted is /ɹɪˈtɔɹtɪd/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “retort” sits inside “retorted”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77277, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retort is recorded at frequency rank #33,397, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪˈtɔɹt/. retorted is at rank #43,880, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈtɔɹtɪd/.
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 77277, this pair ranks #27,723 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of retort vs retorted
Shared letters: eort. Private to "retort": -. Private to "retorted": d.
"retort" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC · "retorted" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "retort" and "retorted" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "retort" or "retorted"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "retort" and "retorted" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "retort" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retorted" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #27,723 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retort" and "retorted" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retort 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 #27,723 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.