retry

/riˈtɹaɪ/

//riˈtɹaɪ// verb

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

"retry" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“retry” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,014. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,014
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To try or attempt again.

Corpus desk

Index EN-retry · retry · English

retry · rank #49,014 · 8 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #49,014
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rhesus

Nearest frequency peer: rhesus (+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 “retry”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “retry” 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).

retry vs Rey
40% similar
retry vs Rory
40% similar
retry vs return
67% similar

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

Key facts for retry
PropertyValue
Headwordretry
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/riˈtɹaɪ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#49,014
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “retry”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).retrylands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “rhesus” (#49,015), “Rickard” (#49,016), “remoteness” (#49,010). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “retry” is #49,014. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around retry (IPA /riˈtɹaɪ/), averb. Corpus frequency is #49,014 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for retry, with forms such as "ertry", "rerty", and "retrry". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "Rey", "Rory", "return", 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 re- + try. The correct English form is retry, spelled R-E-T-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    To try or attempt again.
  2. 2
    To try judicially a second time.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. to retry connecting to the Internet after an error
  2. On October 20, Forsen streamed on Twitch as he retried to defeat the Ender Dragon as fast as he could.

Etymology

From re- + try.

This word in other languages

retenter(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ertry
  • rerty
  • retrry
  • retryy
  • rettry
  • retyr
  • rretry
  • rtery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ertry2rerty2retrry1retryy1rettry1retyr2rretry1rtery2
Edit distance from "retry"

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 "retry"?
"retry" is spelled R-E-T-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /riˈtɹaɪ/.
What does "retry" mean?
As a verb, "retry" means: To try or attempt again.
What words are commonly confused with "retry"?
"retry" is commonly confused with "Rey", "Rory", "return". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retry"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retry" is /riˈtɹaɪ/. 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 "retry"?
From re- + try. 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 "retry", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Sagar#49,027rebar#48,999quant#48,992Shana#49,042

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Scipio8 variantssmock8 variantssolute8 variantsstaph8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list