Which to use
“retiene” and “retiren” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #23,578
- “retiene” frequency rank
- #25,033
- “retiren” frequency rank
- 48611
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retiene | retiren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retener. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de retirar o de retirarse. |
Where the eye mixes retiene and retiren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. retiene (CVCVVCV) and retiren (CVCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: retiene vs retiren
A purely visual mix-up. retiene ([reˈt̪jene]) and retiren ([reˈt̪iɾẽn]) 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 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48611, 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]. retiren is at rank #25,033, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪iɾẽn].
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 48611, this pair ranks #113,501 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retiene vs retiren
Shared letters: einrt. Private to "retiene": -. Private to "retiren": -.
"retiene" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "retiren" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "retiene" and "retiren" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "retiene" or "retiren" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "retiene" and "retiren" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "retiene" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retiren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #113,501 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retiene" and "retiren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "regirán vs retiren". 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 #113,501 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.