recapitulation

/ˌɹiːkəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/

//ˌɹiːkəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n// noun

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

"recapitulation" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“recapitulation” is uncommon English (frequency #73,577 among 21,470 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,577
frequency rank, English
21,470
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A subsequent brief recitement or enumeration of the major points in a narrative, article, or book.

Key facts for recapitulation
PropertyValue
Headwordrecapitulation
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɹiːkəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/
Letters14
Frequency rank#73,577
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “recapitulation” 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). recapitulation lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

recapitulation is uncommon English at frequency #73,577 among 21,470 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɹiːkəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for recapitulation in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman recapitulaciun et al., Middle French recapitulacion et al., or their source, from Late Latin recapitulatio (“summing up, summary”), from the participle stem of recapitulare (“recapitulate”), from re- + capitulum (“chapter, section”), dimin… The correct English form is recapitulation, spelled R-E-C-A-P-I-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A subsequent brief recitement or enumeration of the major points in a narrative, article, or book.
  2. 2
    The third major section of a musical movement written in sonata form, representing thematic material that originally appeared in the exposition section.
  3. 3
    The reenactment of the embryonic development in evolution of the species.
  4. 4
    The symmetry provided by Christ's life to the teachings of the Old Testament; the summation of human experience in Jesus Christ.

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman recapitulaciun et al., Middle French recapitulacion et al., or their source, from Late Latin recapitulatio (“summing up, summary”), from the participle stem of recapitulare (“recapitulate”), from re- + capitulum (“chapter, section”), diminutive of caput (“head”).

This word in other languages

recapitulación(Español)récapitulation(Français)Reprise(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 "recapitulation"?
"recapitulation" is spelled R-E-C-A-P-I-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹiːkəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/.
What does "recapitulation" mean?
As a noun, "recapitulation" means: A subsequent brief recitement or enumeration of the major points in a narrative, article, or book.
How do you pronounce "recapitulation"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recapitulation" is /ˌɹiːkəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/. 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 "recapitulation"?
From Anglo-Norman recapitulaciun et al., Middle French recapitulacion et al., or their source, from Late Latin recapitulatio (“summing up, summary”), from the participle stem of recapitulare (“recapitulate”), from re- + capitulum (“chapter, sectio... 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 “recapitulation”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-C-A-P-I-T-U-L-A-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˌɹiːkəˌpɪtjʊˈleɪʃ(ə)n/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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