retarvsretardoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#37,304
“retar” frequency rank
#35,235
“retardo” frequency rank
72539
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature retar retardo
Definition Dicho de un noble: acusar ante el rey a otro noble de alevosía, quedando obligado el primero a mantener la denuncia en buena lid. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de retardar.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
retar
7 ch
retardo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. retar ([reˈt̪aɾ]) and retardo ([reˈt̪aɾð̞o]) 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 extra letter(s) - “retar” sits inside “retardo”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 72539, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

retar is recorded at frequency rank #37,304, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪aɾ]. retardo is at rank #35,235, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪aɾð̞o].

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 72539, this pair ranks #25,144 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of retar vs retardo

Shared letters: aert. Private to "retar": -. Private to "retardo": do.

"retar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "retardo" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • retarertar · reatr · retarr · retra · rettar · rretar · rtear
  • retardoertardo · reatrdo · retadro · retarddo · retarod · retarrdo · retrado · rettardo

Frequency comparison

retar#37,304
retardo#35,235

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "retar" and "retardo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈt̪aɾ] versus [reˈt̪aɾð̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "retar" or "retardo"?
"retardo" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #35,235 in our Spanish list, against #37,304 for "retar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering retar vs retardo

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 “retar” 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