retrieval
/ɹɪˈtɹiːvəl/
"retrieval" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“retrieval” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #18,943 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #18,943
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 13
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of retrieving or something retrieved.
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 | retrieval |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈtɹiːvəl/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #18,943 |
| Misspellings tracked | 13 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “retrieval” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for retrieval is 9 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈtɹiːvəl/. Corpus data places it at rank #18,943 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for retrieval, with forms such as "ertrieval", "rertieval", and "retireval". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "retrieve", "retriever", "retrial", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct English form is retrieval, spelled R-E-T-R-I-E-V-A-L.
Definition
- 1The act of retrieving or something retrieved.
- 2The operation of accessing data, either from memory or from a storage device.
- 3The cognitive process of bringing stored information into consciousness.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ertrieval,rertieval,retireval,retreival,retrieavl,retrievall,retrievla,retrievval,retriveal,retrrieval,rettrieval,rretrieval,rterieval
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of retrieval - 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.
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 “retrieval”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-T-R-I-E-V-A-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈtɹiːvəl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “retrieve” - see the side-by-side comparison. retrieval vs retrieve
- 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.