receptacle
/ɹɪˈsɛp.tə.kl̩/
"receptacle" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“receptacle” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #34,253 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #34,253
- frequency rank, English
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A container.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | receptacle |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈsɛp.tə.kl̩/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #34,253 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “receptacle” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for receptacle is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈsɛp.tə.kl̩/. Corpus data places it at rank #34,253 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for receptacle, with forms such as "erceptacle", "rceeptacle", and "recceptacle". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English receptacle, from Anglo-Norman receptacle and Middle French receptacle (“organ containing a fluid; gathering place; water basin”) (modern French réceptacle), from Latin receptāculum (“animal enclosure, container, place of refuge, receptac… The correct English form is receptacle, spelled R-E-C-E-P-T-A-C-L-E.
Definition
- 1A container.
- 2The part of the flower stalk (peduncle or pedicel) to which the floral parts are attached; a thalamus, a torus.
- 3The part of the flower stalk (peduncle or pedicel) to which the floral parts are attached; a thalamus, a torus.
- 4A structure at the end of a branch of an alga containing conceptacles (reproductive organs).
- 5An organ that receives and holds a secretion.
- 6A contact device installed at an outlet for the connection of an attachment plug (typically by receiving the plug's prongs) to supply portable appliances or equipment.
Etymology
From Middle English receptacle, from Anglo-Norman receptacle and Middle French receptacle (“organ containing a fluid; gathering place; water basin”) (modern French réceptacle), from Latin receptāculum (“animal enclosure, container, place of refuge, receptacle, repository, reservoir, shelter”), from receptāre (“to harbour, to receive, to shelter”) or receptō (“I receive back or again, I recover”), frequentative of recipiō (“I receive; I hold back, I reserve”) (from re- (“back, again”) + capiō (“I hold”)) + -culum (suffix forming nouns from verbs, particularly nouns representing tools and instruments); cognate with Italian recettaculo, ricettaculo, Portuguese receptáculo, Spanish receptáculo.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erceptacle,rceeptacle,recceptacle,recepatcle,recepptacle,receptaccle,receptacel,receptaclle,receptalce,receptcale,recepttacle,recetpacle,recpetacle,reecptacle,rreceptacle
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of receptacle - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "receptacle"?
What does "receptacle" mean?
What are common misspellings of "receptacle"?
How do you pronounce "receptacle"?
What is the origin of the word "receptacle"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “receptacle”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-C-E-P-T-A-C-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈsɛp.tə.kl̩/ (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
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.