retainer
/ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/
"retainer" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“retainer” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #24,886 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #24,886
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 10
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Any thing or person that retains.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | retainer |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #24,886 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 10 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “retainer” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for retainer is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/. Corpus data places it at rank #24,886 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for retainer, with forms such as "ertainer", "reatiner", and "retaienr". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "retains", "retain", "Reiner", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From retain + -er. The correct English form is retainer, spelled R-E-T-A-I-N-E-R.
Definition
- 1Any thing or person that retains.
- 2A dependent or follower of someone of rank.
- 3A paid servant, especially one who has been employed for many years.
- 4A fee one pays to reserve the other's time for services.
- 5A device that holds teeth in position after orthodontic treatment.
- 6A retaining valve.
Etymology
From retain + -er.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ertainer,reatiner,retaienr,retainerr,retainner,retainre,retanier,retianer,rettainer,rretainer,rteainer
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of retainer - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do you spell "retainer"?
What does "retainer" mean?
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Using “retainer”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-T-A-I-N-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “retains” - see the side-by-side comparison. retainer vs retains
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.