retirevsretirenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“retire” and “retiren” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#14,947
“retire” frequency rank
#25,033
“retiren” frequency rank
39980
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature retire retiren
Definition Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de retirar o de retirarse. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de retirar o de retirarse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set retire and retiren apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
retire
7 ch
retiren

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. retire ([reˈt̪iɾe]) 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 differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “retire” sits inside “retiren”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39980, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

retire is recorded at frequency rank #14,947, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪iɾe]. 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 39980, this pair ranks #161,578 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of retire vs retiren

Shared letters: eirt. Private to "retire": -. Private to "retiren": n.

"retire" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCV  ·  "retiren" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • retireertire · reitre · retier · retirre · retrie · rettire · rretire · rteire
  • retirenertiren · reitren · retiern · retirenn · retirne · retirren · retrien · rettiren

Frequency comparison

retire#14,947
retiren#25,033

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "retire" and "retiren" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈt̪iɾe] versus [reˈt̪iɾẽn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "retire" or "retiren"?
"retire" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,947 in our Spanish list, against #25,033 for "retiren". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering retire vs retiren

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “retire” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list