retrasadavsretrasadosConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#27,385
“retrasada” frequency rank
#23,217
“retrasados” frequency rank
50602
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature retrasada retrasados
Definition Forma del femenino de retrasado, participio de retrasar. Forma del plural de retrasado, participio de retrasar.

Where the eye mixes retrasada and retrasados

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. retrasada runs 9 letters (CVCCVCVCV) against retrasados's 10 (CVCCVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

9 ch
retrasada
10 ch
retrasados

Visual trap between retrasada and retrasados

A purely visual mix-up. retrasada ([ret̪ɾaˈsað̞a]) and retrasados ([ret̪ɾaˈsað̞os]) 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 50602, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

retrasada is recorded at frequency rank #27,385, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [ret̪ɾaˈsað̞a]. retrasados is at rank #23,217, tagged as aparticiple, pronounced [ret̪ɾaˈsað̞os].

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 50602, this pair ranks #102,327 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of retrasada vs retrasados

Shared letters: aderst. Private to "retrasada": -. Private to "retrasados": o.

"retrasada" · 9 letters · shape CVCCVCVCV  ·  "retrasados" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • retrasadaertrasada · rertasada · retarsada · retraasda · retrasaad · retrasadda · retrasdaa · retrassada
  • retrasadosertrasados · rertasados · retarsados · retraasdos · retrasaddos · retrasadoss · retrasadso · retrasaods

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "retrasada" for "retrasados" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ret̪ɾaˈsað̞a] versus [ret̪ɾaˈsað̞os]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "retrasada" or "retrasados"?
"retrasados" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,217 in our Spanish list, against #27,385 for "retrasada". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "retrasada" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "retrasados" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #102,327 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "retrasada" and "retrasados" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retrasada 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 #102,327 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