recent
re·cent/ˈɹi.sənt/adjective, noun
recent is spelled R-E-C-E-N-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables (re·cent). It appears 110 times per million words in written English, the 972nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, recent means “Having happened a short while ago” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in recent?
| Letters | 6: R-E-C-E-N-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: re·cent |
| In writing | 110 times per million words; the 972nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; 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 recent?
Recent appears 110 times per million words in written English, the 972nd 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 recent?
- UK /ˈɹiː.sənt/
- US /ˈɹi.sənt/
- Australia /ˈɹiː.sənt/
Recent has 2 syllables, split re·cent in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-recent.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with recent?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as recent from its last stressed vowel (/isənt/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: center, centre.
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 recent
- more recent comparative
- most recent superlative
- recents plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does recent mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having happened a short while ago.
- 2
Up-to-date; not old-fashioned or dated.
- 3
Having done something a short while ago that distinguishes them as what they are called.
The cause has several hundred recent donors.
- 4
Particularly in geology, palaeontology, and astronomy: having occurred a relatively short time ago, but still potentially thousands or even millions of years ago.
noun
- 1
A recently viewed or accessed item.
adjective
- 1
obsoleteOf the Holocene, particularly pre-21st century.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Recent in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense having happened a short while ago:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | récent |
| German | neu, kürzlich, rezent, frisch |
| Portuguese | recente |
| Spanish | reciente, recental |
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 recent come from?
Borrowed from Latin recēns (genitive recentis).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).