retardation

/ˌɹiː.tɑːˈdeɪ̯.ʃən/

//ˌɹiː.tɑːˈdeɪ̯.ʃən// noun

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

"retardation" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“retardation” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #33,395. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#33,395
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
17
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of retarding or delaying; hindrance.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retardation · retardation · English

retardation · rank #33,395 · 17 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #33,395
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH retards

Nearest frequency peer: retards (+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 “retardation”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retardation” 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).

retardation vs reparation
82% similar
retardation vs retaliation
82% similar

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

Key facts for retardation
PropertyValue
Headwordretardation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɹiː.tɑːˈdeɪ̯.ʃən/
Letters11
Frequency rank#33,395
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retardation”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).retardationlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “retards” (#33,396), “retort” (#33,397), “repeater” (#33,392). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retardation” is #33,395. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around retardation (IPA /ˌɹiː.tɑːˈdeɪ̯.ʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #33,395 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for retardation, with forms such as "ertardation", "reatrdation", and "retadration". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "reparation", "retaliation", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From retard + -ation. The correct English form is retardation, spelled R-E-T-A-R-D-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of retarding or delaying; hindrance.
  2. 2
    The act of retarding or delaying; hindrance.
  3. 3
    The act of retarding or delaying; hindrance.
  4. 4
    The extent to which anything is retarded; the result of any retarding or delay; mental, social, or physical slowness.
  5. 5
    Ellipsis of mental retardation.
  6. 6
    Extreme stupidity.
  7. 7
    That which retards; an obstacle; an obstruction.
  8. 8
    Deceleration; reduction in the magnitude of velocity.
  9. 9
    A suspension which resolves upwards.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Me and my friends used to feed LSD to this little retarded girl in our neighborhood and we'd lock arms around her and go "nightmare! Nightmare! Nightmare! Nightmare! Nightmare! Nightmare! Nightmare! Nightmare!" It actually cured her retardation.
  2. It was on the first day of the new year that the announcement was made, almost simultaneously from three observatories, that the motion of the planet Neptune, the outermost of all the planets that wheel about the sun, had become very erratic. Ogilvy had already called attention to a suspected retardation in its velocity in December. Such a piece of news w…

Etymology

From retard + -ation.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertardation
  • reatrdation
  • retadration
  • retaradtion
  • retardaiton
  • retardasion
  • retardatino
  • retardationn
  • retardatoin
  • retardattion
  • retarddation
  • retardtaion
  • retarrdation
  • retradation
  • rettardation
  • rretardation
  • rteardation

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ertardation2reatrdation2retadration2retaradtion2retardaiton2retardasion1retardatino2retardationn1
Edit distance from "retardation"

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 "retardation"?
"retardation" is spelled R-E-T-A-R-D-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹiː.tɑːˈdeɪ̯.ʃən/.
What does "retardation" mean?
As a noun, "retardation" means: The act of retarding or delaying; hindrance.
What words are commonly confused with "retardation"?
"retardation" is commonly confused with "reparation", "retaliation". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retardation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retardation" is /ˌɹiː.tɑːˈdeɪ̯.ʃən/. 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 "retardation"?
From retard + -ation. 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 "retardation", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rationalize#33,386Mississauga#33,334unambiguous#33,468hydrophobic#33,278

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

reassignment17 variantsgrandstand17 variantsfluctuation17 variantsCharlemagne17 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list