retention

/ɹɪˈtɛnʃən/

//ɹɪˈtɛnʃən// noun

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

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

The verdict

“retention” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,525. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,525
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of retaining or something retained.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retention · retention · English

retention · rank #9,525 · 14 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,525
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH respiratory

Nearest frequency peer: respiratory (-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 “retention”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retention” 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).

retention vs reception
78% similar
retention vs rejection
78% similar
retention vs resection
78% similar

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

Key facts for retention
PropertyValue
Headwordretention
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈtɛnʃən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#9,525
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retention”

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).retentionlands 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 “respiratory” (#9,524), “rewarded” (#9,526), “ribbon” (#9,527). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retention” is #9,525. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around retention (IPA /ɹɪˈtɛnʃən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,525 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for retention, with forms such as "ertention", "reetntion", and "reteniton". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "reception", "rejection", "resection", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English retencioun, borrowed from Latin retentiō, retentiōnis, from retentus, the perfect passive participle of retineō (“retain”) (from re- (“back, again”) + teneō (“hold, keep”)). The correct English form is retention, spelled R-E-T-E-N-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of retaining or something retained.
  2. 2
    The act or power of remembering things.
  3. 3
    Memory; what is retained in the mind.
  4. 4
    The involuntary withholding of urine and faeces.
  5. 5
    The length of time a patient remains in treatment.
  6. 6
    That which contains something, as a tablet; a means of preserving impressions.
  7. 7
    The act of withholding; restraint; reserve.
  8. 8
    A place of custody or confinement.
  9. 9
    The right to withhold a debt, or of retaining property until a debt due to the person claiming the right is duly paid; a lien.
  10. 10
    The portion of a potential damage that must be paid for by the holder of an insurance policy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. No woman's heart / So big, to hold so much; they lack retention.
  2. "Still," Suit echoed. "The way she handles the gun jamming." Suit shook their head in admiration. "Tap, rack, bang, without hesitation. That's extraordinary retention."

Etymology

From Middle English retencioun, borrowed from Latin retentiō, retentiōnis, from retentus, the perfect passive participle of retineō (“retain”) (from re- (“back, again”) + teneō (“hold, keep”)).

This word in other languages

retención(Español)rétention(Français)Zurückhaltung(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertention
  • reetntion
  • reteniton
  • retenntion
  • retension
  • retentino
  • retentionn
  • retentoin
  • retenttion
  • retetnion
  • retnetion
  • rettention
  • rretention
  • rteention

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of retention - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ertention2reetntion2reteniton2retenntion1retension1retentino2retentionn1retentoin2
Edit distance from "retention"

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 "retention"?
"retention" is spelled R-E-T-E-N-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈtɛnʃən/.
What does "retention" mean?
As a noun, "retention" means: The act of retaining or something retained.
What words are commonly confused with "retention"?
"retention" is commonly confused with "reception", "rejection", "resection". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retention"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retention" is /ɹɪˈtɛnʃən/. 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 "retention"?
From Middle English retencioun, borrowed from Latin retentiō, retentiōnis, from retentus, the perfect passive participle of retineō (“retain”) (from re- (“back, again”) + teneō (“hold, keep”)). 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 "retention", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

reluctant#9,522Rochester#9,528prolonged#9,513Stephanie#9,545

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

interpret14 variantsautomation14 variantsinfectious14 variantsbalancing14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list