Which to use
“reciben” and “retiren” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,513
- “reciben” frequency rank
- #25,033
- “retiren” frequency rank
- 28546
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reciben | retiren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de recibir o de recibirse. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de retirar o de retirarse. |
Where the eye mixes reciben and retiren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between reciben and retiren
A purely visual mix-up. reciben ([reˈsiβ̞ẽn]) and retiren ([reˈt̪iɾẽn]) 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 28546, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
reciben is recorded at frequency rank #3,513, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈsiβ̞ẽn]. retiren is at rank #25,033, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪iɾẽn].
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 28546, this pair ranks #221,486 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of reciben vs retiren
Shared letters: einr. Private to "reciben": bc. Private to "retiren": t.
"reciben" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "retiren" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "reciben" and "retiren" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "reciben" or "retiren"?
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 "reciben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retiren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #221,486 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "reciben" and "retiren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "regirán vs retiren". 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 #221,486 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.