retarvsretireWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#37,304
“retar” frequency rank
#14,947
“retire” frequency rank
52251
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature retar retire
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 subjuntivo de retirar o de retirarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set retar and retire apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
retar
6 ch
retire

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. retar ([reˈt̪aɾ]) and retire ([reˈt̪iɾe]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52251, 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]. retire is at rank #14,947, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪iɾe].

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 52251, this pair ranks #93,654 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of retar vs retire

Shared letters: ert. Private to "retar": a. Private to "retire": i.

"retar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "retire" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • retarertar · reatr · retarr · retra · rettar · rretar · rtear
  • retireertire · reitre · retier · retirre · retrie · rettire · rretire · rteire

Frequency comparison

retar#37,304
retire#14,947

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "retar" and "retire" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈt̪aɾ] versus [reˈt̪iɾe]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "retar" or "retire"?
"retire" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,947 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 retire

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