recidivism

/rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzm̩/

//rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzm̩// noun

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

"recidivism" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“recidivism” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,365. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,365
frequency rank, English
21,470
“R” headwords
15
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Committing new offenses after a crime committed in the past.

Key facts for recidivism
PropertyValue
Headwordrecidivism
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzm̩/
Letters10
Frequency rank#42,365
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “recidivism” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around recidivism (IPA /rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzm̩/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #42,365 among 21,470 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for recidivism, with forms such as "ercidivism", "rceidivism", and "reccidivism". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French récidivisme, from Latin recidīvus (“returning, recurring”). Compare recidivous, -ism. By surface analysis, recidive + -ism. The correct English form is recidivism, spelled R-E-C-I-D-I-V-I-S-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Committing new offenses after a crime committed in the past.
  2. 2
    Chronic repetition of criminal or other antisocial behavior.
  3. 3
    Returning to a negative behavior after having stopped it for a period of time.

Etymology

From French récidivisme, from Latin recidīvus (“returning, recurring”). Compare recidivous, -ism. By surface analysis, recidive + -ism.

This word in other languages

reincidencia(Español)récidive(Français)Rückfall(Deutsch)reincidência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ercidivism
  • rceidivism
  • reccidivism
  • recdiivism
  • reciddivism
  • recidiivsm
  • recidivims
  • recidivismm
  • recidivissm
  • recidivsim
  • recidivvism
  • recidviism
  • reciidvism
  • reicdivism
  • rrecidivism

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of recidivism - 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.

ercidivism2rceidivism2reccidivism1recdiivism2reciddivism1recidiivsm2recidivims2recidivismm1
Edit distance from "recidivism"

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 "recidivism"?
"recidivism" is spelled R-E-C-I-D-I-V-I-S-M. The IPA pronunciation is /rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzm̩/.
What does "recidivism" mean?
As a noun, "recidivism" means: Committing new offenses after a crime committed in the past.
What are common misspellings of "recidivism"?
Common misspellings include "ercidivism", "rceidivism", "reccidivism", "recdiivism", "reciddivism". The correct spelling is "recidivism".
How do you pronounce "recidivism"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recidivism" is /rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzm̩/. 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 "recidivism"?
From French récidivisme, from Latin recidīvus (“returning, recurring”). Compare recidivous, -ism. By surface analysis, recidive + -ism. 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.

Using “recidivism”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-C-I-D-I-V-I-S-M - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /rɪˈsɪdɪvɪzm̩/ (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

Same frequency band

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list