Which to use
“recargo” and “retardo” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,536
- “recargo” frequency rank
- #35,235
- “retardo” frequency rank
- 63771
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | recargo | retardo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de recargar. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de retardar. |
Where the eye mixes recargo and retardo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. recargo and retardo follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between recargo and retardo
A purely visual mix-up. recargo ([reˈkaɾɣ̞o]) and retardo ([reˈt̪aɾð̞o]) 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 63771, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
recargo is recorded at frequency rank #28,536, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈkaɾɣ̞o]. retardo is at rank #35,235, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪aɾð̞o].
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 63771, this pair ranks #47,666 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of recargo vs retardo
Shared letters: aeor. Private to "recargo": cg. Private to "retardo": dt.
"recargo" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "retardo" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "recargo" for "retardo" ever safe?
Which is more common, "recargo" or "retardo"?
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 "recargo" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retardo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #47,666 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "recargo" and "retardo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "regado vs retardo". 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 #47,666 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.