recursionvsrevulsionWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#44,443
“recursion” frequency rank
#41,351
“revulsion” frequency rank
85794
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature recursion revulsion
Definition The act of recurring. Abhorrence, a sense of loathing, intense aversion, repugnance, repulsion, horror.

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
recursion
9 ch
revulsion

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

recursion and revulsion form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85794, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

recursion is recorded at frequency rank #44,443, classified as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)ʒən/. revulsion is at rank #41,351, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɹɪˈvʌlʃən/.

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 85794, this pair ranks #9,851 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

recursion#44,443
revulsion#41,351

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "recursion" and "revulsion" be used interchangeably?
No, "recursion" and "revulsion" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering recursion vs revulsion

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 “recursion” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list