represavsretrasaWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#21,137
“represa” frequency rank
#28,549
“retrasa” frequency rank
49686
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature represa retrasa
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de represar. Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retrasar.

Where the eye mixes represa and retrasa

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. represa and retrasa follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
represa
7 ch
retrasa

Why the eye confuses represa with retrasa

A purely visual mix-up. represa ([reˈpɾesa]) and retrasa ([reˈt̪ɾasa]) 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 49686, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

represa is recorded at frequency rank #21,137, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈpɾesa]. retrasa is at rank #28,549, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪ɾasa].

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 49686, this pair ranks #107,427 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of represa vs retrasa

Shared letters: aers. Private to "represa": p. Private to "retrasa": t.

"represa" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "retrasa" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • represaerpresa · repersa · reppresa · repreas · repressa · reprresa · reprsea · rerpesa
  • retrasaertrasa · rertasa · retarsa · retraas · retrassa · retrrasa · retrsaa · rettrasa

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "represa" and "retrasa" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈpɾesa] versus [reˈt̪ɾasa]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "represa" or "retrasa"?
"represa" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #21,137 in our Spanish list, against #28,549 for "retrasa". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Eye-level mix-up between "represa" and "retrasa" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "represa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "retrasa" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #107,427 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "represa" and "retrasa" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retrasa vs retrasan". 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 #107,427 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list