retired

/ɹɪˈtaɪəd/

//ɹɪˈtaɪəd// adj

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

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

The verdict

“retired” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,390. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,390
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
14
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Secluded from society (of a lifestyle, activity etc.); private, quiet.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retired · retired · English

retired · rank #3,390 · 10 variants · 14 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,390
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 14 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH replacement

Nearest frequency peer: replacement (-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 “retired”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retired” 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).

retired vs revived
71% similar
retired vs revered
71% similar
retired vs retiree
86% similar

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

Key facts for retired
PropertyValue
Headwordretired
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹɪˈtaɪəd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#3,390
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs14
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retired”

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).retiredlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “replacement” (#3,389), “roles” (#3,391), “rank” (#3,388). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retired” is #3,390. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around retired (IPA /ɹɪˈtaɪəd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,390 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for retired, with forms such as "ertired", "reitred", and "retierd". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 14 confusable-pair relationships, "revived", "revered", "retiree", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From retire + -ed. The correct English form is retired, spelled R-E-T-I-R-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Secluded from society (of a lifestyle, activity etc.); private, quiet.
  2. 2
    Of a place, far from civilization, not able to be easily seen or accessed; secluded.
  3. 3
    Having left employment, especially on reaching pensionable age. (of people)
  4. 4
    No longer in use or production.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I lead a retired lifestyle.
  2. The little stone Saint occupied a retired niche in a side aisle of the old cathedral.

Etymology

From retire + -ed.

This word in other languages

jubilado(Español)retraité(Français)aposentado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertired
  • reitred
  • retierd
  • retirde
  • retiredd
  • retirred
  • retried
  • rettired
  • rretired
  • rteired

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of retired - 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.

ertired2reitred2retierd2retirde2retiredd1retirred1retried2rettired1
Edit distance from "retired"

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 "retired"?
"retired" is spelled R-E-T-I-R-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈtaɪəd/.
What does "retired" mean?
As an adjective, "retired" means: Secluded from society (of a lifestyle, activity etc.); private, quiet.
What words are commonly confused with "retired"?
"retired" is commonly confused with "revived", "revered", "retiree". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retired"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retired" is /ɹɪˈtaɪəd/. 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 "retired"?
From retire + -ed. 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 "retired", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

pushing#3,387savings#3,393settled#3,394pleased#3,384

Similar misspelling depth

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

Islamic10 variantsbeating10 variantsblocks10 variantsCharlie10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list