retirement

/ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ).mənt/

//ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ).mənt// noun

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

"retirement" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“retirement” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,858. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,858
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of retiring; withdrawal.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retirement · retirement · English

retirement · rank #2,858 · 15 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,858
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH respond

Nearest frequency peer: respond (-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 “retirement”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retirement” 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).

retirement vs refinement
80% similar
retirement vs requirement
82% similar

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

Key facts for retirement
PropertyValue
Headwordretirement
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ).mənt/
Letters10
Frequency rank#2,858
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retirement”

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).retirementlands 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 “respond” (#2,857), “sample” (#2,859), “represented” (#2,856). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retirement” is #2,858. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around retirement (IPA /ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ).mənt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #2,858 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for retirement, with forms such as "ertirement", "reitrement", and "retierment". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "refinement", "requirement", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French retirement, from retirer (“withdraw, retire”); corresponding to retire + -ment. The correct English form is retirement, spelled R-E-T-I-R-E-M-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of retiring; withdrawal.
  2. 2
    The state of being retired; seclusion.
  3. 3
    A place of seclusion or privacy; a retreat.
  4. 4
    The state of having permanently left one's employment, now especially at reaching pensionable age; the portion of one's life after retiring from one's career.
  5. 5
    The act of leaving one's career or employment permanently.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The heir to the throne of Bogota […] had to undergo a rigorous training from his infancy: he lived in complete retirement in a temple, where he might not see the sun nor eat salt nor converse with a woman: he was surrounded by guards who observed his conduct and noted all his actions.
  2. When her mother frowned, and her friend looked cool, she would steal to this retirement, where human foot seldom trod […].

Etymology

From French retirement, from retirer (“withdraw, retire”); corresponding to retire + -ment.

This word in other languages

jubilación(Español)retraite(Français)Rente(Deutsch)reforma(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertirement
  • reitrement
  • retierment
  • retireemnt
  • retiremennt
  • retirementt
  • retiremetn
  • retiremment
  • retiremnet
  • retirmeent
  • retirrement
  • retriement
  • rettirement
  • rretirement
  • rteirement

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ertirement2reitrement2retierment2retireemnt2retiremennt1retirementt1retiremetn2retiremment1
Edit distance from "retirement"

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 "retirement"?
"retirement" is spelled R-E-T-I-R-E-M-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ).mənt/.
What does "retirement" mean?
As a noun, "retirement" means: An act of retiring; withdrawal.
What words are commonly confused with "retirement"?
"retirement" is commonly confused with "refinement", "requirement". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retirement"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retirement" is /ɹəˈtaɪə(ɹ).mənt/. 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 "retirement"?
From French retirement, from retirer (“withdraw, retire”); corresponding to retire + -ment. 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 "retirement", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

officially#2,845Manchester#2,842constantly#2,825attractive#2,818

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

differences15 variantsanniversary15 variantsrecognized15 variantsregistered15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list