# reciprocal vs reciprocate

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### reciprocal
*adjective · IPA /ɹɪˈsɪpɹək(ə)l/ · frequency rank #21,910*
Of a feeling, action or such: mutual, uniformly felt or done by each party towards the other or others; two-way.

### reciprocate
*verb · IPA /ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/ · frequency rank #38,126*
To exchange two things, with both parties giving one thing and taking another thing.

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