Which to use
“retener” and “retiene” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,667
- “retener” frequency rank
- #23,578
- “retiene” frequency rank
- 35245
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retener | retiene |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hacer que alguien no se vaya o siga su camino, en contra de su voluntad. | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retener. |
Where the eye mixes retener and retiene
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. retener (CVCVCVC) and retiene (CVCVVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between retener and retiene
A purely visual mix-up. retener ([ret̪eˈneɾ]) and retiene ([reˈt̪jene]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35245, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retener is recorded at frequency rank #11,667, classified as averb, pronounced [ret̪eˈneɾ]. retiene is at rank #23,578, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪jene].
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 35245, this pair ranks #187,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retener vs retiene
Shared letters: enrt. Private to "retener": -. Private to "retiene": i.
"retener" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "retiene" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "retener" and "retiene" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "retener" vs "retiene" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "retener" and "retiene" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "retener" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retiene" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #187,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retener" and "retiene" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retiene vs reviente". 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 #187,138 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.