recalcitrant

/ɹɪˈkæl.sɪ.tɹənt/

//ɹɪˈkæl.sɪ.tɹənt// adj

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

"recalcitrant" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“recalcitrant” is uncommon English (frequency #50,183 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,183
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey authority.

Corpus desk

Index EN-recalcitrant · recalcitrant · English

recalcitrant · rank #50,183 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #50,183
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rectification

Nearest frequency peer: rectification (+2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “recalcitrant”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “recalcitrant” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for recalcitrant
PropertyValue
Headwordrecalcitrant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹɪˈkæl.sɪ.tɹənt/
Letters12
Frequency rank#50,183
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “recalcitrant” in English

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).recalcitrantfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “rectification” (#50,185), “regretful” (#50,187), “Raikkonen” (#50,178). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recalcitrant” is #50,183. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

recalcitrant is uncommon English at frequency #50,183 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɹɪˈkæl.sɪ.tɹənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

recalcitrant has no tracked misspelling variants, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French récalcitrant, from Latin recalcitrāns, recalcitrantis, present participle of recalcitrō, recalcitrāre (“be disobedient, kick back [as a horse]”), from calx (“heel”), 1820s. The correct English form is recalcitrant, spelled R-E-C-A-L-C-I-T-R-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey authority.
  2. 2
    Unwilling to cooperate socially.
  3. 3
    Difficult to deal with or to operate.
  4. 4
    Not viable for an extended period; damaged by drying or freezing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His nimble fancy was recalcitrant to mental discipline.
  2. There was something in her manner so reminiscent of the school teacher reprimanding a recalcitrant pupil that Mr. Snyder's sense of humor came to his rescue.

Etymology

Borrowed from French récalcitrant, from Latin recalcitrāns, recalcitrantis, present participle of recalcitrō, recalcitrāre (“be disobedient, kick back [as a horse]”), from calx (“heel”), 1820s.

Synonyms

argumentativedefiantdisobedientrebelliousstubbornunrulyadversarialobstreperousintransigent

Antonyms

compliantobedientamenablecooperativeeagerorthodox

This word in other languages

recalcitrante(Español)rebelle(Français)widerspenstig(Deutsch)

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 "recalcitrant"?
"recalcitrant" is spelled R-E-C-A-L-C-I-T-R-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈkæl.sɪ.tɹənt/.
What does "recalcitrant" mean?
As an adjective, "recalcitrant" means: Marked by a stubborn unwillingness to obey authority.
How do you pronounce "recalcitrant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recalcitrant" is /ɹɪˈkæl.sɪ.tɹənt/. 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 "recalcitrant"?
Borrowed from French récalcitrant, from Latin recalcitrāns, recalcitrantis, present participle of recalcitrō, recalcitrāre (“be disobedient, kick back [as a horse]”), from calx (“heel”), 1820s. 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 "recalcitrant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reminiscence#50,189predominance#50,161plausibility#50,155nightcrawler#50,107

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list