Re-collect or recollect?
re-collect is a verb meaning “Alternative form of recollect”; recollect is a verb meaning “To recall; to collect one's thoughts again, especially about past events”. re-collect is written with a hyphen and recollect as one word; they are used differently.
What is the difference between re-collect and recollect?
| re-collect | recollect | |
|---|---|---|
| Part of speech | verb | verb, noun |
| Meaning | Alternative form of recollect | To recall; to collect one's thoughts again, especially about past events To compose oneself A member of a French reform branch of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscans |
| Example | none recorded | I remember the concert clearly, but I can't recollect why I had decided to go there |
| Forms | re-collects, re-collecting, re-collected | recollects, recollecting, recollected |
| Pronunciation | not recorded | /ɹɛkəˈlɛkt/ /ɹiːkəˈlɛkt/ |
| In writing | not counted (the list counts single words) | about once in every 2 million words |
Sources: re-collect and recollect in the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
Every current meaning of re-collect and recollect
re-collect
- 1
Alternative form of recollect
recollect
- 1
To recall; to collect one's thoughts again, especially about past events
I remember the concert clearly, but I can't recollect why I had decided to go there
- 2
To compose oneself
- 3
A member of a French reform branch of the Order of Friars Minor, commonly known as the Franciscans
Source: the English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0); obsolete, archaic, dialect and rare senses left out.
Which is more common, re-collect or recollect?
re-collect is a phrase, which the list of single words does not count; recollect about once in every 2 million words.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).