Which to use
“retrasan” and “retrasando” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,252
- “retrasan” frequency rank
- #41,049
- “retrasando” frequency rank
- 90301
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retrasan | retrasando |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de retrasar. | Gerundio de retrasar. |
Where the eye mixes retrasan and retrasando
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. retrasan runs 8 letters (CVCCVCVC) against retrasando's 10 (CVCCVCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between retrasan and retrasando
A purely visual mix-up. retrasan ([reˈt̪ɾasãn]) and retrasando ([ret̪ɾaˈsãn̪d̪o]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “retrasan” sits inside “retrasando”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 90301, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retrasan is recorded at frequency rank #49,252, classified as averb, pronounced [reˈt̪ɾasãn]. retrasando is at rank #41,049, tagged as averb, pronounced [ret̪ɾaˈsãn̪d̪o].
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 90301, this pair ranks #2,594 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of retrasan vs retrasando
Shared letters: aenrst. Private to "retrasan": -. Private to "retrasando": do.
"retrasan" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "retrasando" · 10 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- retrasan ← ertrasan · rertasan · retarsan · retraasn · retrasann · retrasna · retrassan · retrrasan
- retrasando ← ertrasando · rertasando · retarsando · retraasndo · retrasadno · retrasanddo · retrasanndo · retrasanod
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "retrasan" and "retrasando" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "retrasan" or "retrasando"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "retrasan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retrasando" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,594 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retrasan" and "retrasando" 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 #2,594 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.