reciprocate

/ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/

//ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt// verb

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

"reciprocate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reciprocate” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #38,126. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#38,126
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To exchange two things, with both parties giving one thing and taking another thing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reciprocate · reciprocate · English

reciprocate · rank #38,126 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #38,126
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH recklessness

Nearest frequency peer: recklessness (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “reciprocate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “reciprocate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

reciprocate vs reciprocity
82% similar
reciprocate vs reciprocal
82% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for reciprocate
PropertyValue
Headwordreciprocate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/
Letters11
Frequency rank#38,126
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reciprocate”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).reciprocatelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “recklessness” (#38,127), “Rashad” (#38,123), “remaking” (#38,129). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reciprocate” is #38,126. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around reciprocate (IPA /ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #38,126 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for reciprocate, with forms such as "erciprocate", "rceiprocate", and "recciprocate". 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 also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "reciprocity", "reciprocal", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin recīprocātus, perfect passive participle of recīprocō (“to move back and forth”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from reciprocus (“back an forth, reciprocal, alternating”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), itself possibly from a phr… The correct English form is reciprocate, spelled R-E-C-I-P-R-O-C-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To exchange two things, with both parties giving one thing and taking another thing.
  2. 2
    To give something else in response (where the "thing" may also be abstract, a feeling or action) To make a reciprocal gift.
  3. 3
    To move backwards and forwards, like a piston.
  4. 4
    To counter, retort or retaliate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The USTR isn't reciprocating actual tariffs. It's just placing the biggest tariffs on the countries running the biggest trade surpluses.
  2. I gave them apples from my tree; they reciprocated with a pie and some apple jelly.

Etymology

From Latin recīprocātus, perfect passive participle of recīprocō (“to move back and forth”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from reciprocus (“back an forth, reciprocal, alternating”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), itself possibly from a phrase such as reque proque (“back and forth”), from re- (“back”), prō (“forwards”) and -que (“and”). See also reciprocal. Compare French réciproquer.

Synonyms

give as good as one getsreciprocaterespond in kind

This word in other languages

recompensar(Español)réciproquer(Français)erwidern(Deutsch)trocar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erciprocate
  • rceiprocate
  • recciprocate
  • reciporcate
  • recipprocate
  • reciprcoate
  • reciproacte
  • reciprocaet
  • reciprocatte
  • reciproccate
  • reciproctae
  • reciprrocate
  • recirpocate
  • recpirocate
  • reicprocate
  • rreciprocate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reciprocate - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

erciprocate2rceiprocate2recciprocate1reciporcate2recipprocate1reciprcoate2reciproacte2reciprocaet2
Edit distance from "reciprocate"

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 "reciprocate"?
"reciprocate" is spelled R-E-C-I-P-R-O-C-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/.
What does "reciprocate" mean?
As a verb, "reciprocate" means: To exchange two things, with both parties giving one thing and taking another thing.
What words are commonly confused with "reciprocate"?
"reciprocate" is commonly confused with "reciprocity", "reciprocal". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reciprocate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reciprocate" is /ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/. 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 "reciprocate"?
From Latin recīprocātus, perfect passive participle of recīprocō (“to move back and forth”) (see -ate (verb-forming suffix)), from reciprocus (“back an forth, reciprocal, alternating”) + -ō (first conjugation verb-forming suffix), itself possibly ... 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 "reciprocate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

precipitate#38,107oscillating#38,082Oktoberfest#38,075modernizing#38,057

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

recklessness16 variantspestilence16 variantssketchbook16 variantsmismatched16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list