Which to use
“retiene” is a verb and “retrete” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,578
- “retiene” frequency rank
- #32,857
- “retrete” frequency rank
- 56435
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retiene | retrete |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retener. | Recipiente para recoger y evacuar los excrementos humanos hacia la instalación de saneamiento y que (mediante un cierre de sifón de agua limpia) impide la salida de los olores de la alcantarilla hacia los espacios habitados |
Where the eye mixes retiene and retrete
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. retiene (CVCVVCV) and retrete (CVCCVCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses retiene with retrete
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: retiene is [reˈt̪jene] while retrete is [reˈt̪ɾet̪e]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56435, 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]. retrete is at rank #32,857, tagged as anoun, pronounced [reˈt̪ɾet̪e].
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 56435, this pair ranks #74,612 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of retiene vs retrete
Shared letters: ert. Private to "retiene": in. Private to "retrete": -.
"retiene" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCV · "retrete" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "retiene" and "retrete" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "retiene" vs "retrete" - which ranks higher?
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 "retrete" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #74,612 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retiene" and "retrete" 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 #74,612 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.