retraitvsretraiteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“retrait” and “retraite” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#3,501
“retrait” frequency rank
#1,343
“retraite” frequency rank
4844
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature retrait retraite
Definition Action de retirer. Action de se retirer.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set retrait and retraite apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
retrait
8 ch
retraite

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. retrait (\ʁə.tʁɛ\) and retraite (\ʁə.tʁɛt\) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “retrait” sits inside “retraite”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4844, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

retrait is recorded at frequency rank #3,501, classified as anoun, pronounced \ʁə.tʁɛ\. retraite is at rank #1,343, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ʁə.tʁɛt\.

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 4844, this pair ranks #430,540 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of retrait vs retraite

Shared letters: aeirt. Private to "retrait": -. Private to "retraite": -.

"retrait" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC  ·  "retraite" · 8 letters · shape CVCCVVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • retraitertrait · rertait · retarit · retraitt · retrati · retriat · retrrait · rettrait
  • retraiteertraite · rertaite · retarite · retraiet · retraitte · retratie · retriate · retrraite

Frequency comparison

retrait#3,501
retraite#1,343

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "retrait" and "retraite" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\ʁə.tʁɛ\ versus \ʁə.tʁɛt\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "retrait" or "retraite"?
"retraite" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,343 in our French list, against #3,501 for "retrait". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering retrait vs retraite

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “retrait” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list