Which to use
“retrasar” and “retratar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,808
- “retrasar” frequency rank
- #27,765
- “retratar” frequency rank
- 45573
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retrasar | retratar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Hacer que algo llegue o suceda más tarde del tiempo debido o acordado. | Hacer un retrato. |
Where the eye mixes retrasar and retratar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. retrasar and retratar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between retrasar and retratar
A purely visual mix-up. retrasar ([ret̪ɾaˈsaɾ]) and retratar ([ret̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ]) 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 a single letter - s in “retrasar” becomes t in “retratar”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45573, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retrasar is recorded at frequency rank #17,808, classified as averb, pronounced [ret̪ɾaˈsaɾ]. retratar is at rank #27,765, tagged as averb, pronounced [ret̪ɾaˈt̪aɾ].
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 45573, this pair ranks #130,688 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retrasar vs retratar
Shared letters: aert. Private to "retrasar": s. Private to "retratar": -.
"retrasar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC · "retratar" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "retrasar" and "retratar" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "retrasar" or "retratar"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "retrasar" and "retratar" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "retrasar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "retratar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #130,688 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retrasar" and "retratar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retrasan vs retratar". 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 #130,688 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.