reciprocate
/ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/
"reciprocate" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“reciprocate” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #38,126 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #38,126
- frequency rank, English
- 11
- letters
- 16
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To exchange two things, with both parties giving one thing and taking another thing.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | reciprocate |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #38,126 |
| Misspellings tracked | 16 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “reciprocate” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for reciprocate is 11 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/. Corpus data places it at rank #38,126 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1To exchange two things, with both parties giving one thing and taking another thing.
- 2To give something else in response (where the "thing" may also be abstract, a feeling or action) To make a reciprocal gift.
- 3To move backwards and forwards, like a piston.
- 4To counter, retort or retaliate.
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
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
What does "reciprocate" mean?
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Using “reciprocate”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-C-I-P-R-O-C-A-T-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈsɪpɹəˌkeɪt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “reciprocity” - see the side-by-side comparison. reciprocate vs reciprocity
- 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.