Which to use
“retorna” and “retornar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #34,317
- “retorna” frequency rank
- #20,808
- “retornar” frequency rank
- 55125
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retorna | retornar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retornar. | Volver una persona o una cosa al lugar o situación en que estaba antes. |
Where the eye mixes retorna and retornar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. retorna runs 7 letters (CVCVCCV) against retornar's 8 (CVCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses retorna with retornar
A purely visual mix-up. retorna ([reˈt̪oɾna]) and retornar ([ret̪oɾˈnaɾ]) 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) - “retorna” sits inside “retornar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55125, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retorna is recorded at frequency rank #34,317, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪oɾna]. retornar is at rank #20,808, tagged as averb, pronounced [ret̪oɾˈnaɾ].
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 55125, this pair ranks #80,292 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of retorna vs retornar
Shared letters: aenort. Private to "retorna": -. Private to "retornar": -.
"retorna" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV · "retornar" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "retorna" for "retornar" ever safe?
Frequency check: "retorna" vs "retornar" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "retorna" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retornar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #80,292 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retorna" and "retornar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retorna vs retornos". 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 #80,292 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.