recension
/ɹɪˈsɛnʃən/
"recension" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“recension” is uncommon English (frequency #98,636 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #98,636
- frequency rank, English
- 3,094
- “R” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - A census, an enumeration, a review, a survey.
Corpus desk
Index EN-recension · recension · English
recension · rank #98,636 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #98,636
- LEN-LONG 9 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,094
- PHOTO-FINISH reburial
Nearest frequency peer: reburial (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “recension”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- reacquire
reacquire
1,370 corpus weight
- reasoner
reasoner
1,368 corpus weight
- reburial
reburial
1,366 corpus weight
- recension
recension
1,365 corpus weight
- regenerator
regenerator
1,360 corpus weight
- reimbursable
reimbursable
1,358 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “recension” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | recension |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈsɛnʃən/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #98,636 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “recension” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
recension is uncommon English at frequency #98,636 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɹɪˈsɛnʃən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.
recension has no tracked misspelling variants, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin recēnsiō (“enumeration; review; reassessment”), from recēnseō (“to count, reckon; to examine, review; to go over, revise”), from re- (“again”) (from Proto-Italic *wre (“again”); further etymology uncertain) + cēnseō (“to give an opinion; to suppo… The correct English form is recension, spelled R-E-C-E-N-S-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1A census, an enumeration, a review, a survey.
- 2A critical revision of a text.
- 3A text established by critical revision.
- 4A family of manuscripts which share similar traits; the variety of a language which is used in such manuscripts.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how recension appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The recenſion of the inhabitants is conſidered, firſt, 'with reſpect to the general population, and to the local diſtribution of them into counties, towns, boroughs, villages, and pariſhes.' Among the conveniences expected from ſuch an annual recenſion, it is obſerved, that 'one might ſee what counties, towns, or pariſhes, diſpeopled faſteſt, or made a co…
Of Theon of Alexandria, there remain a recension of Euclid's Elements, Scholia on Aratus, and a Commentary on the Syntaxis of Ptolemy.
Etymology
From Latin recēnsiō (“enumeration; review; reassessment”), from recēnseō (“to count, reckon; to examine, review; to go over, revise”), from re- (“again”) (from Proto-Italic *wre (“again”); further etymology uncertain) + cēnseō (“to give an opinion; to suppose, think; to assess”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *ḱn̥seh₁-, *ḱn̥seye- (“to announce”)).
This word in other languages
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.
PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "recension", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency 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.