retornavsretornoConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#34,317
“retorna” frequency rank
#5,040
“retorno” frequency rank
39357
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature retorna retorno
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retornar. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de retornar.

Where the eye mixes retorna and retorno

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. retorna and retorno follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

7 ch
retorna
7 ch
retorno

Look-alike desk: retorna vs retorno

A purely visual mix-up. retorna ([reˈt̪oɾna]) and retorno ([reˈt̪oɾno]) 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 a single letter - a in “retorna” becomes o in “retorno”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39357, 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]. retorno is at rank #5,040, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪oɾno].

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 39357, this pair ranks #164,959 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of retorna vs retorno

Shared letters: enort. Private to "retorna": a. Private to "retorno": -.

"retorna" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV  ·  "retorno" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • retorna ← ertorna · reotrna · retonra · retoran · retornna · retorrna · retrona · rettorna
  • retorno ← ertorno · reotrno · retonro · retornno · retoron · retorrno · retrono · rettorno

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "retorna" and "retorno" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([reˈt̪oɾna] versus [reˈt̪oɾno]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "retorna" or "retorno"?
"retorno" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,040 in our Spanish list, against #34,317 for "retorna". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

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 "retorno" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #164,959 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "retorna" and "retorno" 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 #164,959 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list