Which to use
“rayar” and “retar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #39,954
- “rayar” frequency rank
- #37,304
- “retar” frequency rank
- 77258
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | rayar | retar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Trazar rayas o líneas en una superficie. | Dicho de un noble: acusar ante el rey a otro noble de alevosía, quedando obligado el primero a mantener la denuncia en buena lid. |
Where the eye mixes rayar and retar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. rayar (CVVVC) and retar (CVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: rayar vs retar
A purely visual mix-up. rayar ([raˈʝaɾ]) and retar ([reˈt̪aɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 77258, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
rayar is recorded at frequency rank #39,954, classified as averb, pronounced [raˈʝaɾ]. retar is at rank #37,304, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪aɾ].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 77258, this pair ranks #16,320 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of rayar vs retar
Shared letters: ar. Private to "rayar": y. Private to "retar": et.
"rayar" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC · "retar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "rayar" and "retar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "rayar" or "retar" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "rayar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #16,320 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "rayar" and "retar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "renard vs retar". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #16,320 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.