Which to use
“retrasa” is a verb and “retrato” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #28,549
- “retrasa” frequency rank
- #5,252
- “retrato” frequency rank
- 33801
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retrasa | retrato |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retrasar. | Imagen pictórica de alguien o algo, casi siempre de una persona. |
Where the eye mixes retrasa and retrato
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. retrasa and retrato follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses retrasa with retrato
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: retrasa is [reˈt̪ɾasa] while retrato is [reˈt̪ɾat̪o]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33801, 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]. retrato is at rank #5,252, tagged as anoun, pronounced [reˈt̪ɾat̪o].
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 33801, this pair ranks #194,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retrasa vs retrato
Shared letters: aert. Private to "retrasa": s. Private to "retrato": o.
"retrasa" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV · "retrato" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "retrasa" and "retrato" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "retrasa" or "retrato"?
What to do next
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 "retrato" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #194,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retrasa" and "retrato" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retrasa vs retrasan". 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 #194,824 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.