reconcilevsreconciledWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“reconcile” and “reconciled” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#15,042
“reconcile” frequency rank
#23,079
“reconciled” frequency rank
38121
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature reconcile reconciled
Definition To restore a friendly relationship; to bring back or return to harmony. simple past and past participle of reconcile

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set reconcile and reconciled apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
reconcile
10 ch
reconciled

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. reconcile (/ˈɹɛkənsaɪl/) and reconciled (/ˈɹɛkənsaɪld/) 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) - “reconcile” sits inside “reconciled”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38121, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

reconcile is recorded at frequency rank #15,042, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈɹɛkənsaɪl/. reconciled is at rank #23,079, tagged as averb, pronounced /ˈɹɛkənsaɪld/.

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 38121, this pair ranks #288,648 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of reconcile vs reconciled

Shared letters: ceilnor. Private to "reconcile": -. Private to "reconciled": d.

"reconcile" · 9 letters · shape CVCVCCVCV  ·  "reconciled" · 10 letters · shape CVCVCCVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • reconcileerconcile · rceoncile · recconcile · recnocile · recocnile · reconccile · reconciel · reconcille
  • reconcilederconciled · rceonciled · recconciled · recnociled · recocniled · reconcciled · reconcield · reconcilde

Frequency comparison

reconcile#15,042
reconciled#23,079

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "reconcile" and "reconciled" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ˈɹɛkənsaɪl/ versus /ˈɹɛkənsaɪld/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "reconcile" or "reconciled"?
"reconcile" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #15,042 in our English list, against #23,079 for "reconciled". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering reconcile vs reconciled

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 “reconcile” 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