Which to use
“retrasados” is a participle and “retrasos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,217
- “retrasados” frequency rank
- #18,669
- “retrasos” frequency rank
- 41886
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retrasados | retrasos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Forma del plural de retrasado, participio de retrasar. | Forma del plural de retraso. |
Where the eye mixes retrasados and retrasos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. retrasados runs 10 letters (CVCCVCVCVC) against retrasos's 8 (CVCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: retrasados vs retrasos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: retrasados is [ret̪ɾaˈsað̞os] while retrasos is [reˈt̪ɾasos]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (participle vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41886, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retrasados is recorded at frequency rank #23,217, classified as aparticiple, pronounced [ret̪ɾaˈsað̞os]. retrasos is at rank #18,669, tagged as anoun, pronounced [reˈt̪ɾasos].
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 41886, this pair ranks #151,241 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retrasados vs retrasos
Shared letters: aeorst. Private to "retrasados": d. Private to "retrasos": -.
"retrasados" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCVC · "retrasos" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- retrasados ← ertrasados · rertasados · retarsados · retraasdos · retrasaddos · retrasadoss · retrasadso · retrasaods
- retrasos ← ertrasos · rertasos · retarsos · retraoss · retrasoss · retrassos · retrrasos · retrsaos
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "retrasados" for "retrasos" ever safe?
Frequency check: "retrasados" vs "retrasos" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "retrasados" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retrasos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #151,241 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retrasados" and "retrasos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retrasan vs retrasos". 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 #151,241 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.