reinevsretieneWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“reine” and “retiene” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#40,508
“reine” frequency rank
#23,578
“retiene” frequency rank
64086
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reine retiene
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de reinar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retener.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set reine and retiene apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
reine
7 ch
retiene

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. reine ([ˈrejne]) and retiene ([reˈt̪jene]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 64086, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reine is recorded at frequency rank #40,508, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈrejne]. retiene is at rank #23,578, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪jene].

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 64086, this pair ranks #46,662 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of reine vs retiene

Shared letters: einr. Private to "reine": -. Private to "retiene": t.

"reine" · 5 letters · shape CVVCV  ·  "retiene" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • reineerine · reien · reinne · renie · rreine
  • retieneertiene · reitene · reteine · retieen · retienne · retinee · rettiene · rretiene

Frequency comparison

reine#40,508
retiene#23,578

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reine" and "retiene" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈrejne] versus [reˈt̪jene]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "reine" or "retiene"?
"retiene" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,578 in our Spanish list, against #40,508 for "reine". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reine vs retiene

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “reine” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list