# recent vs repent

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### recent
*adjective · IPA /ˈɹiː.sənt/ · frequency rank #977*
Having happened a short while ago.

### repent
*verb · IPA /ɹɪˈpɛnt/ · frequency rank #18,416*
To feel pain, sorrow, or regret for what one has done or omitted to do; the cause for repenting may be indicated with "of".

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/recent-vs-repent