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 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#73,577
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A subsequent brief recitement or enumeration of the major points in a narrative, article, or book.

Corpus desk

Index EN-recapitulation · recapitulation · English

recapitulation · rank #73,577 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #73,577
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-7 7 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH recce

Nearest frequency peer: recce (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “recapitulation”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
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)

Long-tail rank of “recapitulation” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “recce” (#73,578), “rebuking” (#73,575), “reclassify” (#73,579). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recapitulation” is #73,577. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

recapitulation is uncommon English at frequency #73,577 among 3,094 “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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The dolorous effects of the second world war on train services, and its protracted legacies of over-age equipment and shortages of material for replacement, are too fresh in memory to require recapitulation here; […].
  2. In classical music there are, as the analytical programs tell us, first subjects and second subjects, free fantasias, recapitulations, and codas; there are fugues, with counter-subjects, strettos, and pedal points; there are passacaglias on ground basses, canons ad hypodiapente, and other ingenuities, which have, after all, stood or fallen by their pretti…

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

recreationally#73,580phosphorescent#73,526Stephanopoulos#73,656obstructionist#73,490

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list