retarvsretiroWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: retar is a verb, retiro is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“retar” is a verb and “retiro” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#37,304
“retar” frequency rank
#3,211
“retiro” frequency rank
40515
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature retar retiro
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. Acción o efecto de retirarse.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
retar
6 ch
retiro

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: retar is [reˈt̪aɾ] while retiro is [reˈt̪iɾo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40515, 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]. retiro is at rank #3,211, tagged as anoun, pronounced [reˈt̪iɾo].

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 40515, this pair ranks #158,662 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of retar vs retiro

Shared letters: ert. Private to "retar": a. Private to "retiro": io.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • retarertar · reatr · retarr · retra · rettar · rretar · rtear
  • retiroertiro · reitro · retior · retirro · retrio · rettiro · rretiro · rteiro

Frequency comparison

retar#37,304
retiro#3,211

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "retar" and "retiro" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "retar" is a verb and "retiro" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "retar" or "retiro"?
"retiro" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,211 in our Spanish list, against #37,304 for "retar". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering retar vs retiro

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “retar”; for a noun, it's “retiro”.
  • 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