Which to use
“retira” and “retiraba” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,532
- “retira” frequency rank
- #37,305
- “retiraba” frequency rank
- 46837
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retira | retiraba |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retirar o de retirarse. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de retirar o de retirarse. |
Where the eye mixes retira and retiraba
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. retira runs 6 letters (CVCVCV) against retiraba's 8 (CVCVCVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: retira vs retiraba
A purely visual mix-up. retira ([reˈt̪iɾa]) and retiraba ([ret̪iˈɾaβ̞a]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “retira” sits inside “retiraba”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46837, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retira is recorded at frequency rank #9,532, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪iɾa]. retiraba is at rank #37,305, tagged as averb, pronounced [ret̪iˈɾaβ̞a].
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 46837, this pair ranks #123,441 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retira vs retiraba
Shared letters: aeirt. Private to "retira": -. Private to "retiraba": b.
"retira" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV · "retiraba" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "retira" for "retiraba" ever safe?
Which is more common, "retira" or "retiraba"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "retira" and "retiraba" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "retira" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retiraba" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #123,441 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retira" and "retiraba" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "reinaba vs retiraba". 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 #123,441 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.