retreat
/ɹɪˈtɹiːt/
"retreat" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“retreat” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,833 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #5,833
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 8
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | retreat |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈtɹiːt/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #5,833 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 8 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “retreat” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for retreat is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈtɹiːt/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,833 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 10 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for retreat, with forms such as "ertreat", "rerteat", and "reterat". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "retweet", "retrial", "repeat", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English retret, from Old French retrait or retret, from Latin retractus, from retraho. Doublet of retract, retrait, and ritratto. The correct English form is retreat, spelled R-E-T-R-E-A-T.
Definition
- 1The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
- 2The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
- 3The act of pulling back or withdrawing, as from something dangerous, or unpleasant.
- 4A peaceful, quiet place affording privacy or security.
- 5A peaceful, quiet place in which to urinate and defecate: an outhouse; a lavatory.
- 6A period of retirement, seclusion, or solitude, especially for meditation, prayer, or study.
- 7A signal for a military withdrawal.
- 8A bugle call or drumbeat signaling the lowering of the flag at sunset, as on a military base.
- 9A military ceremony to lower the flag.
- 10The move of a piece from a threatened position.
Etymology
From Middle English retret, from Old French retrait or retret, from Latin retractus, from retraho. Doublet of retract, retrait, and ritratto.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ertreat,rerteat,reterat,retraet,retreatt,retreta,retrreat,rettreat,rretreat,rtereat
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of retreat - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “retreat”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-T-R-E-A-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈtɹiːt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “retweet” - see the side-by-side comparison. retreat vs retweet
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.