retainer

/ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/

//ɹɪˈteɪn.ə// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"retainer" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“retainer” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,886. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,886
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Any thing or person that retains.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retainer · retainer · English

retainer · rank #24,886 · 11 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,886
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rethinking

Nearest frequency peer: rethinking (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “retainer”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “retainer” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

retainer vs retains
75% similar
retainer vs retain
75% similar
retainer vs Reiner
63% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for retainer
PropertyValue
Headwordretainer
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/
Letters8
Frequency rank#24,886
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retainer”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).retainerlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “rethinking” (#24,887), “resolute” (#24,884), “salient” (#24,889). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retainer” is #24,886. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around retainer (IPA /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,886 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    Any thing or person that retains.
  2. 2
    A dependent or follower of someone of rank.
  3. 3
    A paid servant, especially one who has been employed for many years.
  4. 4
    A fee one pays to reserve the other's time for services.
  5. 5
    A device that holds teeth in position after orthodontic treatment.
  6. 6
    A retaining valve.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how retainer appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. If they possessed the means to marshal labour, pile up food resources and provender armies of year-round retainers, what sort of royalty would consciously elect not to do so.
  2. Of all this family lore I knew but little and vaguely; only what is to be gathered from the fireside talk of old retainers in the nursery.

Etymology

From retain + -er.

This word in other languages

criado(Español)suite(Français)Dienstmann(Deutsch)aparelho(Português)

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.

ertainer2reatiner2retaienr2retainerr1retainner1retainre2retanier2retianer2
Edit distance from "retainer"

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"?
"retainer" is spelled R-E-T-A-I-N-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/.
What does "retainer" mean?
As a noun, "retainer" means: Any thing or person that retains.
What words are commonly confused with "retainer"?
"retainer" is commonly confused with "retains", "retain", "Reiner". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retainer"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retainer" is /ɹɪˈteɪn.ə/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "retainer"?
From retain + -er. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "retainer", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

resolute#24,884reciting#24,879seawater#24,893sentient#24,897

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

spotless11 variantsParramatta11 variantsneuronal11 variantstilting11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list