Which to use
“retours” is a noun and “return” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,651
- “retours” frequency rank
- #23,674
- “return” frequency rank
- 30325
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | retours | return |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de retour. | Retourner. |
Where the eye mixes retours and return
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between retours and return
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: retours is \ʁə.tuʁ\ while return is \ɹɪ.ˈtɝn\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30325, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
retours is recorded at frequency rank #6,651, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁə.tuʁ\. 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 30325, this pair ranks #311,118 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of retours vs return
Shared letters: ertu. Private to "retours": os. Private to "return": n.
"retours" · 7 letters · shape CVCVVCC · "return" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "retours" and "return" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "retours" or "return"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "retours" 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 #311,118 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "retours" and "return" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "relous vs retours". 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 #311,118 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.