retarvsrotarWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#37,304
“retar” frequency rank
#39,443
“rotar” frequency rank
76747
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature retar rotar
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. Dicho de una pieza o un elemento, dar vueltas alrededor de su eje.

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
retar
5 ch
rotar

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. retar ([reˈt̪aɾ]) and rotar ([roˈt̪aɾ]) 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 - e in “retar” becomes o in “rotar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76747, 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]. rotar is at rank #39,443, tagged as averb, pronounced [roˈt̪aɾ].

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 76747, this pair ranks #17,171 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of retar vs rotar

Shared letters: art. Private to "retar": e. Private to "rotar": o.

"retar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "rotar" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • retarertar · reatr · retarr · retra · rettar · rretar · rtear
  • rotarortar · roatr · rotarr · rotra · rottar · rrotar · rtoar

Frequency comparison

retar#37,304
rotar#39,443

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "retar" and "rotar" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈt̪aɾ] versus [roˈt̪aɾ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "retar" or "rotar"?
"retar" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #37,304 in our Spanish list, against #39,443 for "rotar". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering retar vs rotar

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list