retains

/ɹɪˈteɪnz/

//ɹɪˈteɪnz// verb

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

"retains" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“retains” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,314. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,314
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - third-person singular simple present indicative of retain

Corpus desk

Index EN-retains · retains · English

retains · rank #12,314 · 10 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,314
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rests

Nearest frequency peer: rests (-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 “retains”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retains” 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).

retains vs retina
71% similar
retains vs returns
71% similar
retains vs rethink
71% similar

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

Key facts for retains
PropertyValue
Headwordretains
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈteɪnz/
Letters7
Frequency rank#12,314
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retains”

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).retainslands 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 “rests” (#12,313), “revived” (#12,315), “restraint” (#12,312). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retains” is #12,314. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around retains (IPA /ɹɪˈteɪnz/), averb. Corpus frequency is #12,314 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "third-person singular simple present indicative of retain".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for retains, with forms such as "ertains", "reatins", and "retainns". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "retina", "returns", "rethink", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct English form is retains, spelled R-E-T-A-I-N-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    third-person singular simple present indicative of retain

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertains
  • reatins
  • retainns
  • retainss
  • retaisn
  • retanis
  • retians
  • rettains
  • rretains
  • rteains

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ertains2reatins2retainns1retainss1retaisn2retanis2retians2rettains1
Edit distance from "retains"

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 "retains"?
"retains" is spelled R-E-T-A-I-N-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈteɪnz/.
What does "retains" mean?
As a verb, "retains" means: third-person singular simple present indicative of retain
What words are commonly confused with "retains"?
"retains" is commonly confused with "retina", "returns", "rethink". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retains"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retains" is /ɹɪˈteɪnz/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "retains" come from?
"retains" 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 "retains", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

revived#12,315scarlet#12,320sensing#12,322polymer#12,301

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

stitch10 variantsthirst10 variantsvinegar10 variantsaccessory10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list