recency

/ˈɹiːsənsi/

//ˈɹiːsənsi// noun

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

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

The verdict

“recency” is uncommon English (frequency #80,799 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#80,799
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The property of being recent; newness.

Corpus desk

Index EN-recency · recency · English

recency · rank #80,799 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #80,799
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH recalibration

Nearest frequency peer: recalibration (-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 “recency”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for recency
PropertyValue
Headwordrecency
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹiːsənsi/
Letters7
Frequency rank#80,799
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “recency” 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).recencyfalls 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: “recalibration” (#80,798), “recusal” (#80,801), “rearm” (#80,796). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recency” is #80,799. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

recency is uncommon English at frequency #80,799 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹiːsənsi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "The property of being recent; newness.".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for recency, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. We don't track a confusable pairing for this entry, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin recentia, from recens, equivalent to recent + -cy. See recent. The correct English form is recency, spelled R-E-C-E-N-C-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    The property of being recent; newness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. Due to its recency, there are no used parts available for this model.

Etymology

From Latin recentia, from recens, equivalent to recent + -cy. See recent.

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 "recency"?
"recency" is spelled R-E-C-E-N-C-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹiːsənsi/.
What does "recency" mean?
As a noun, "recency" means: The property of being recent; newness.
How do you pronounce "recency"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recency" is /ˈɹiːsənsi/. 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 "recency"?
From Latin recentia, from recens, equivalent to recent + -cy. See recent. 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 "recency", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

recusal#80,801praline#80,772portend#80,767plunket#80,762

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list