retaining

/ɹɪˈteɪnɪŋ/

//ɹɪˈteɪnɪŋ// adj

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

"retaining" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“retaining” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,951. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,951
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to something that retains something else, as with a retaining wall.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retaining · retaining · English

retaining · rank #9,951 · 13 variants · 13 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,951
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 13 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH Romania

Nearest frequency peer: Romania (+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 “retaining”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retaining” 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).

retaining vs retiring
78% similar
retaining vs retaking
78% similar
retaining vs returning
78% similar

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

Key facts for retaining
PropertyValue
Headwordretaining
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹɪˈteɪnɪŋ/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,951
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retaining”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).retaininglands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Romania” (#9,952), “render” (#9,949), “sailor” (#9,953). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retaining” is #9,951. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around retaining (IPA /ɹɪˈteɪnɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,951 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Of or pertaining to something that retains something else, as with a retaining wall.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for retaining, with forms such as "ertaining", "reatining", and "retaiinng". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 13 confusable-pair relationships, "retiring", "retaking", "returning", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is retaining, spelled R-E-T-A-I-N-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to something that retains something else, as with a retaining wall.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertaining
  • reatining
  • retaiinng
  • retainign
  • retainingg
  • retaininng
  • retainnig
  • retainning
  • retaniing
  • retianing
  • rettaining
  • rretaining
  • rteaining

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of retaining - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ertaining2reatining2retaiinng2retainign2retainingg1retaininng1retainnig2retainning1
Edit distance from "retaining"

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 "retaining"?
"retaining" is spelled R-E-T-A-I-N-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈteɪnɪŋ/.
What does "retaining" mean?
As an adjective, "retaining" means: Of or pertaining to something that retains something else, as with a retaining wall.
What words are commonly confused with "retaining"?
"retaining" is commonly confused with "retiring", "retaking", "returning". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retaining"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retaining" is /ɹɪˈteɪnɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "retaining" come from?
"retaining" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 "retaining", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sociology#9,960prevalent#9,940precedent#9,939splitting#9,964

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

traction13 variantsbranding13 variantscredible13 variantsdrowning13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list