retiring

/ɹəˈtaɪ(ə)ɹɪŋ/

//ɹəˈtaɪ(ə)ɹɪŋ// adj

"retiring" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“retiring” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,660. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,660
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
11
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - introverted, liking privacy and seclusion.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retiring · retiring · English

retiring · rank #9,660 · 12 variants · 11 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,660
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 11 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH restrict

Nearest frequency peer: restrict (-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 “retiring”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retiring” 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).

retiring vs reviving
75% similar
retiring vs returning
78% similar
retiring vs rearing
75% similar

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

Key facts for retiring
PropertyValue
Headwordretiring
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹəˈtaɪ(ə)ɹɪŋ/
Letters8
Frequency rank#9,660
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs11
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retiring”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).retiringlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “restrict” (#9,659), “ribs” (#9,662), “righteous” (#9,663). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retiring” is #9,660. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around retiring (IPA /ɹəˈtaɪ(ə)ɹɪŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #9,660 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "introverted, liking privacy and seclusion.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for retiring, with forms such as "ertiring", "reitring", and "retiirng". 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 11 confusable-pair relationships, "reviving", "returning", "rearing", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is retiring, spelled R-E-T-I-R-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    introverted, liking privacy and seclusion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I don't really know him well, since he's so shy and retiring.
  2. My uncle, as I can remember, was retiring in his disposition, scarcely ever visiting any one and not more frequently receiving any visitors.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertiring
  • reitring
  • retiirng
  • retirign
  • retiringg
  • retirinng
  • retirnig
  • retirring
  • retriing
  • rettiring
  • rretiring
  • rteiring

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of retiring - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ertiring2reitring2retiirng2retirign2retiringg1retirinng1retirnig2retirring1
Edit distance from "retiring"

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 "retiring"?
"retiring" is spelled R-E-T-I-R-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹəˈtaɪ(ə)ɹɪŋ/.
What does "retiring" mean?
As an adjective, "retiring" means: introverted, liking privacy and seclusion.
What words are commonly confused with "retiring"?
"retiring" is commonly confused with "reviving", "returning", "rearing". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retiring"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retiring" is /ɹəˈtaɪ(ə)ɹɪŋ/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "retiring" come from?
"retiring" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "retiring", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list