reagent

/ɹiˈeɪ.d͡ʒənt/

//ɹiˈeɪ.d͡ʒənt// noun

"reagent" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reagent” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #33,811 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#33,811
frequency rank, English
7
letters
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A compound or mixture of compounds used to treat or test materials, samples, other compounds or reactants in a laboratory or sometimes an industrial setting.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

reagent vs recent
71% similar
reagent vs regent
86% similar
reagent vs resent
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for reagent
PropertyValue
Headwordreagent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹiˈeɪ.d͡ʒənt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#33,811
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “reagent” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). reagent lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for reagent is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹiˈeɪ.d͡ʒənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #33,811 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "A compound or mixture of compounds used to treat or test materials, samples, other compounds or reactants in a laboratory or sometimes an industrial setting.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for reagent, with forms such as "eragent", "raegent", and "reaegnt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "recent", "regent", "resent", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Possibly from Latin reagō. Compare with Norwegian Bokmål reagens. The sequence of act → action → agent → agency shows morphologic and semantic parallel, and apparent cognate relation, with react → reaction → reagent → reagency. The correct English form is reagent, spelled R-E-A-G-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    A compound or mixture of compounds used to treat or test materials, samples, other compounds or reactants in a laboratory or sometimes an industrial setting.

Etymology

Possibly from Latin reagō. Compare with Norwegian Bokmål reagens. The sequence of act → action → agent → agency shows morphologic and semantic parallel, and apparent cognate relation, with react → reaction → reagent → reagency.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: eragent,raegent,reaegnt,reagennt,reagentt,reagetn,reaggent,reagnet,regaent,rreagent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

eragent2raegent2reaegnt2reagennt1reagentt1reagetn2reaggent1reagnet2
Edit distance from "reagent"

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 "reagent"?
"reagent" is spelled R-E-A-G-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹiˈeɪ.d͡ʒənt/.
What does "reagent" mean?
As a noun, "reagent" means: A compound or mixture of compounds used to treat or test materials, samples, other compounds or reactants in a laboratory or sometimes an industrial setting.
What words are commonly confused with "reagent"?
"reagent" is commonly confused with "recent", "regent", "resent". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reagent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reagent" is /ɹiˈeɪ.d͡ʒənt/. 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 "reagent"?
Possibly from Latin reagō. Compare with Norwegian Bokmål reagens. The sequence of act → action → agent → agency shows morphologic and semantic parallel, and apparent cognate relation, with react → reaction → reagent → reagency. 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.

Using “reagent”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-A-G-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹiˈeɪ.d͡ʒənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “recent” - see the side-by-side comparison. reagent vs recent
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list