remindvsrescindWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,840
“remind” frequency rank
#34,262
“rescind” frequency rank
38102
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature remind rescind
Definition To cause one to experience a memory (of someone or something); to bring to the notice or consideration (of a person). To repeal, annul, or declare void; to take (something such as a rule or contract) out of effect.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set remind and rescind apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
remind
7 ch
rescind

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. remind (/ɹəˈmaɪnd/) and rescind (/ɹɪˈsɪnd/) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38102, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

remind is recorded at frequency rank #3,840, classified as averb, pronounced /ɹəˈmaɪnd/. rescind is at rank #34,262, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɹɪˈsɪnd/.

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 38102, this pair ranks #288,812 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of remind vs rescind

Shared letters: deinr. Private to "remind": m. Private to "rescind": cs.

"remind" · 6 letters · shape CVCVCC  ·  "rescind" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • remindermind · reimnd · remidn · remindd · reminnd · remmind · remnid · rmeind
  • rescinderscind · recsind · resccind · rescidn · rescindd · rescinnd · rescnid · resicnd

Frequency comparison

remind#3,840
rescind#34,262

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "remind" and "rescind" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/ɹəˈmaɪnd/ versus /ɹɪˈsɪnd/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "remind" or "rescind"?
"remind" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,840 in our English list, against #34,262 for "rescind". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering remind vs rescind

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 “remind” 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