Which to use
“retry” and “return” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,014
- “retry” frequency rank
- #663
- “return” frequency rank
- 49677
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retry | return |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To try or attempt again. | To come or go back (to a place or person). |
Where the eye mixes retry and return
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses retry with return
A purely visual mix-up. retry (/riˈtɹaɪ/) and return (/ɹɪˈtɜːn/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49677, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retry is recorded at frequency rank #49,014, classified as averb, pronounced /riˈtɹaɪ/. return is at rank #663, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈtɜːn/.
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 49677, this pair ranks #181,380 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retry vs return
Shared letters: ert. Private to "retry": y. Private to "return": nu.
"retry" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "return" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "retry" for "return" ever safe?
Which is more common, "retry" or "return"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "retry" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "return" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #181,380 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retry" and "return" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reedy 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 #181,380 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.