Which to use
“retourna” and “return” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,463
- “retourna” frequency rank
- #23,674
- “return” frequency rank
- 40137
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retourna | return |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Troisième personne du singulier du passé simple de retourner. | Retourner. |
Where the eye mixes retourna and return
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses retourna with return
A purely visual mix-up. retourna (\ʁə.tuʁ.na\) and return (\ɹɪ.ˈtɝn\) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40137, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retourna is recorded at frequency rank #16,463, classified as averb, pronounced \ʁə.tuʁ.na\. return is at rank #23,674, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɹɪ.ˈtɝn\.
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 40137, this pair ranks #242,763 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retourna vs return
Shared letters: enrtu. Private to "retourna": ao. Private to "return": -.
"retourna" · 8 letters · shape CVCVVCCV · "return" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "retourna" and "return" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "retourna" or "return"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "retourna" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "return" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #242,763 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retourna" and "return" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "retourna vs retournait". 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 #242,763 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.