recant
/ɹəˈkænt/verb
recant is spelled R-E-C-A-N-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, recant means “To withdraw or repudiate a statement or opinion formerly expressed, especially formally and publicly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in recant?
| Letters | 6: R-E-C-A-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 58,063rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is recant?
Recant appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 58,063rd most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce recant?
- /ɹəˈkænt/
Recant has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-recant.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with recant?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as recant.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: trance, nectar, canter, carnet.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of recant
- recants present, singular, he/she/it
- recanting participle, present
- recanted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does recant mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To withdraw or repudiate a statement or opinion formerly expressed, especially formally and publicly.
Convince me that I am wrong, and I will recant.
- 2
To give a new cant (slant, angle) to something, in particular railway track on a curve.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Recant in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to withdraw or repudiate formally and publicly:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rétracter, se rétracter, retirer |
| German | zurücknehmen, zurückziehen, widerrufen |
| Spanish | retractarse |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does recant come from?
First attested in 1535, from Latin recantare (“to sing back, reecho, sing again, repeat in singing, recant, recall, revoke, charm back or away”), from re- (“back”) + canto (“to chant, to sing”), frequentative of cano.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).