retired
/ɹɪˈtaɪəɹd/adjective, verb
retired is spelled R-E-T-I-R-E-D: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,364th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, retired means “Secluded from society (of a lifestyle, activity etc.); private, quiet” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in retired?
| Letters | 7: R-E-T-I-R-E-D |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 28 times per million words; the 3,364th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is retired?
Retired appears 28 times per million words in written English, the 3,364th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce retired?
- UK /ɹɪˈtaɪəd/
- US /ɹɪˈtaɪəɹd/
Retired has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-retired.ogg, LL-Q1860_(eng)-PerfectSoundWhatever-retired.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with retired?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as retired from its last stressed vowel (/aɪəɹd/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of retired
- more retired comparative
- most retired superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does retired mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Secluded from society (of a lifestyle, activity etc.); private, quiet.
I lead a retired lifestyle.
- 2
Of a place, far from civilization, not able to be easily seen or accessed; secluded.
- 3
Having left employment, especially on reaching pensionable age. (of people)
The retired workers are a major expense due to their pensions.
- 4
No longer in use or production.
Following Jackie Robinson's success, his uniform number, 42, became a retired number across all major league teams.
verb
- 1
simple past and past participle of retire
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate retired?
Wiktionary records 5 abbreviations of retired: ret, ret'd, retd, retd., rtd.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Retired in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having left employment:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | retraité, à la retraite |
| German | im Ruhestand |
| Portuguese | aposentado, reformado |
| Spanish | jubilado |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does retired come from?
From retire + -ed.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).