Which to use
“recepción” and “retención” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,189
- “recepción” frequency rank
- #10,568
- “retención” frequency rank
- 14757
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | recepción | retención |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | La acción y el efecto de recibir algo o alguien. | Acción o efecto de retener. |
Where the eye mixes recepción and retención
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. recepción and retención follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCVVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between recepción and retención
A purely visual mix-up. recepción ([resepˈsjõn]) and retención ([ret̪ẽnˈsjõn]) 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 14757, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
recepción is recorded at frequency rank #4,189, classified as anoun, pronounced [resepˈsjõn]. retención is at rank #10,568, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ret̪ẽnˈsjõn].
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 14757, this pair ranks #282,872 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of recepción vs retención
Shared letters: ceinró. Private to "recepción": p. Private to "retención": t.
"recepción" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC · "retención" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "recepción" for "retención" ever safe?
Which is more common, "recepción" or "retención"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "recepción" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retención" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #282,872 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "recepción" and "retención" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "recepción vs recepciones". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #282,872 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.