reactionary

/ɹiˈækʃən(ə)ɹi/

//ɹiˈækʃən(ə)ɹi// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"reactionary" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reactionary” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,909. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,909
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
16
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Extremely conservative; opposing revolution (such as the French Revolution); favoring a return to a "golden age" of the past.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reactionary · reactionary · English

reactionary · rank #21,909 · 16 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,909
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reciprocal

Nearest frequency peer: reciprocal (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “reactionary”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “reactionary” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for reactionary
PropertyValue
Headwordreactionary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹiˈækʃən(ə)ɹi/
Letters11
Frequency rank#21,909
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reactionary”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).reactionarylands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “reciprocal” (#21,910), “puma” (#21,907), “reconstruct” (#21,911). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reactionary” is #21,909. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around reactionary (IPA /ɹiˈækʃən(ə)ɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #21,909 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for reactionary, with forms such as "eractionary", "raectionary", and "reacctionary". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French réactionnaire, equivalent to reaction + -ary. Used in the time of the French revolution to refer to a person opposing the revolution; as in favoring a reaction against the revolution. The correct English form is reactionary, spelled R-E-A-C-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Extremely conservative; opposing revolution (such as the French Revolution); favoring a return to a "golden age" of the past.
  2. 2
    Of, pertaining to, participating in, or inducing a chemical reaction.
  3. 3
    In reaction to; as a result of.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how reactionary appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. There's a fairly simple reason for the embrace of radicalism on the right, and it has to do with the reactionary imperative that lies at the core of conservative doctrine. […] If he is to preserve what he values, the conservative must declare war against the culture as it is.
  2. [Jeffrey] Epstein was interested in transhumanism, a theory of human perfection via technological manipulation that—like its predecessor, eugenics—is shot through with racist and reactionary ideas.

Etymology

Borrowed from French réactionnaire, equivalent to reaction + -ary. Used in the time of the French revolution to refer to a person opposing the revolution; as in favoring a reaction against the revolution.

This word in other languages

reaccionario(Español)réactionnaire(Français)reaktionär(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eractionary
  • raectionary
  • reacctionary
  • reacitonary
  • reactinoary
  • reactioanry
  • reactionarry
  • reactionaryy
  • reactionayr
  • reactionnary
  • reactionray
  • reactoinary
  • reacttionary
  • reatcionary
  • recationary
  • rreactionary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reactionary - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eractionary2raectionary2reacctionary1reacitonary2reactinoary2reactioanry2reactionarry1reactionaryy1
Edit distance from "reactionary"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "reactionary"?
"reactionary" is spelled R-E-A-C-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹiˈækʃən(ə)ɹi/.
What does "reactionary" mean?
As an adjective, "reactionary" means: Extremely conservative; opposing revolution (such as the French Revolution); favoring a return to a "golden age" of the past.
What are common misspellings of "reactionary"?
Common misspellings include "eractionary", "raectionary", "reacctionary", "reacitonary", "reactinoary". The correct spelling is "reactionary".
How do you pronounce "reactionary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reactionary" is /ɹiˈækʃən(ə)ɹi/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "reactionary"?
Borrowed from French réactionnaire, equivalent to reaction + -ary. Used in the time of the French revolution to refer to a person opposing the revolution; as in favoring a reaction against the revolution. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "reactionary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reconstruct#21,911proclaiming#21,902presumption#21,901selfishness#21,924

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

prosthetic16 variantsprospectus16 variantsmeteorology16 variantsintangible16 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list