Which to use
“retiene” and “retire” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,578
- “retiene” frequency rank
- #14,947
- “retire” frequency rank
- 38525
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retiene | retire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retener. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de retirar o de retirarse. |
Where the eye mixes retiene and retire
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. retiene runs 7 letters (CVCVVCV) against retire's 6 (CVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: retiene vs retire
A purely visual mix-up. retiene ([reˈt̪jene]) 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 38525, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retiene is recorded at frequency rank #23,578, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪jene]. 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 38525, this pair ranks #169,532 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retiene vs retire
Shared letters: eirt. Private to "retiene": n. Private to "retire": -.
"retiene" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "retire" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "retiene" for "retire" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "retiene" or "retire" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "retiene" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retire" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #169,532 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retiene" and "retire" 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 #169,532 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.