Which to use
“recita” and “retira” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #41,582
- “recita” frequency rank
- #9,532
- “retira” frequency rank
- 51114
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | recita | retira |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de recitar. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retirar o de retirarse. |
Where the eye mixes recita and retira
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. recita and retira follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between recita and retira
A purely visual mix-up. recita ([reˈsit̪a]) and retira ([reˈt̪iɾa]) 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 51114, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
recita is recorded at frequency rank #41,582, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈsit̪a]. retira is at rank #9,532, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪iɾa].
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 51114, this pair ranks #99,615 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of recita vs retira
Shared letters: aeirt. Private to "recita": c. Private to "retira": -.
"recita" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "retira" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "recita" and "retira" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "recita" vs "retira" - which ranks higher?
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 "recita" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retira" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #99,615 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "recita" and "retira" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "recicla vs recita". 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 #99,615 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.