retrasavsretratanWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#28,549
“retrasa” frequency rank
#42,130
“retratan” frequency rank
70679
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature retrasa retratan
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retrasar. Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retratar.

Where the eye mixes retrasa and retratan

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. retrasa runs 7 letters (CVCCVCV) against retratan's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

7 ch
retrasa
8 ch
retratan

Visual trap between retrasa and retratan

A purely visual mix-up. retrasa ([reˈt̪ɾasa]) and retratan ([reˈt̪ɾat̪ãn]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 70679, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

retrasa is recorded at frequency rank #28,549, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪ɾasa]. retratan is at rank #42,130, tagged as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪ɾat̪ãn].

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 70679, this pair ranks #29,164 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of retrasa vs retratan

Shared letters: aert. Private to "retrasa": s. Private to "retratan": n.

"retrasa" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV  ·  "retratan" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • retrasaertrasa · rertasa · retarsa · retraas · retrassa · retrrasa · retrsaa · rettrasa
  • retratanertratan · rertatan · retartan · retraatn · retratann · retratna · retrattan · retrratan

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "retrasa" and "retratan" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([reˈt̪ɾasa] versus [reˈt̪ɾat̪ãn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "retrasa" or "retratan"?
"retrasa" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #28,549 in our Spanish list, against #42,130 for "retratan". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "retrasa" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "retratan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #29,164 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "retrasa" and "retratan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retrasan vs retratan". 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 #29,164 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