retour

\ʁə.tuʁ\

/\ʁə.tuʁ\/ noun

The verdict

“retour” is in the everyday core of French, ranked #403 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#403
frequency rank, French
6
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Tour en sens contraire.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

retour vs rotor
67% similar
retour vs revoir
67% similar
retour vs rêveur
50% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for retour
PropertyValue
Headwordretour
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ʁə.tuʁ\
Letters6
Frequency rank#403
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “retour” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). retour lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for retour is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁə.tuʁ\. Corpus data places it at rank #403 in overall French word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 19 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for retour, with forms such as "ertour", "reotur", and "retoru". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "rotor", "revoir", "rêveur", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is retour, spelled R-E-T-O-U-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    Tour en sens contraire.
  2. 2
    Action du cerf qui revient sur lui-même, c’est-à-dire sur les mêmes voies, pour les confondre et dérouter les chiens.
  3. 3
    Ruse, artifice.
  4. 4
    Action de revenir, de retourner.
  5. 5
    Contrecoup, d’une réaction résultant d’une émotion.
  6. 6
    Expulsion.
  7. 7
    Arrivée au lieu d’où l’on était parti.
  8. 8
    Rentrée dans un emploi.
  9. 9
    Choses qui reviennent.
  10. 10
    Maritime,
  11. 11
    Renvoi qui est fait d’un effet impayé, du lieu sur lequel il était tiré à celui d’où il a été tiré.
  12. 12
    Renvoi à l’éditeur des volumes qui ne sont pas vendus, et aussi de ces volumes mêmes.
  13. 13
    Encoignure d’un bâtiment, de l’angle formé par une partie de construction qui fait saillie en avant d’une autre.
  14. 14
    Profil d’un entablement, d’une corniche, etc., qui ressaute.
  15. 15
    du changement, de la vicissitude des affaires.
  16. 16
    Reconnaissance, réciprocité de sentiments, de services, etc.
  17. 17
    Réversion, du droit en vertu duquel les ascendants rentrent dans la possession des choses qu’ils ont données à leurs descendants, lorsque ceux-ci viennent à mourir sans enfants.
  18. 18
    Interprétation depuis une langue A vers une langue B, c’est à dire depuis une langue maternelle (ou langue utilisée comme langue cible en temps normal) vers une autre.
  19. 19
    Son ou images produits par un artiste et qui lui sont renvoyés immédiatement afin qu'il ait une meilleure perception de ce qu'il produit.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ertour,reotur,retoru,retourr,rettour,retuor,rretour,rteour

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of retour - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ertour2reotur2retoru2retourr1rettour1retuor2rretour1rteour2
Edit distance from "retour"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "retour"?
"retour" is spelled R-E-T-O-U-R. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁə.tuʁ\.
What does "retour" mean?
As a noun, "retour" means: Tour en sens contraire.
What words are commonly confused with "retour"?
"retour" is commonly confused with "rotor", "revoir", "rêveur". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "retour"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "retour" is \ʁə.tuʁ\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "retour" come from?
"retour" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “retour”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is R-E-T-O-U-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁə.tuʁ\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “rotor” - see the side-by-side comparison. retour vs rotor
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list