Which to use
“retar” and “rezar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #37,304
- “retar” frequency rank
- #9,362
- “rezar” frequency rank
- 46666
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retar | rezar |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | Pedir, solicitar, o rogar algo a una divinidad |
Where the eye mixes retar and rezar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses retar with rezar
A purely visual mix-up. retar ([reˈt̪aɾ]) and rezar ([reˈsaɾ]) 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 a single letter - t in “retar” becomes z in “rezar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46666, 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]. rezar is at rank #9,362, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈsaɾ].
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 46666, this pair ranks #124,463 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retar vs rezar
Shared letters: aer. Private to "retar": t. Private to "rezar": z.
"retar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "rezar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "retar" for "rezar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "retar" or "rezar"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "retar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "rezar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #124,463 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retar" and "rezar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "renard vs retar". 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 #124,463 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.