Which to use
“retarder” is a verb and “retardés” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,466
- “retarder” frequency rank
- #39,506
- “retardés” frequency rank
- 51972
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retarder | retardés |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Différer ; temporiser. | Masculin pluriel de retardé. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set retarder and retardés apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: retarder and retardés carry the same recorded pronunciation, \ʁə.taʁ.de\. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 51972, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retarder is recorded at frequency rank #12,466, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁə.taʁ.de\. retardés is at rank #39,506, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ʁə.taʁ.de\.
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 51972, this pair ranks #151,080 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retarder vs retardés
Shared letters: adert. Private to "retarder": -. Private to "retardés": sé.
"retarder" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC · "retardés" · 8 letters · shape CVCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- retarder ← ertarder · reatrder · retadrer · retardder · retarderr · retardre · retaredr · retarrder
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "retarder" and "retardés" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "retarder" or "retardés"?
Remembering retarder vs retardés
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “retarder”; for an adjective, it's “retardés”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “retarder” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable