recitative

/ɹɛsɪtəˈtiːv/

//ɹɛsɪtəˈtiːv// noun

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

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

The verdict

“recitative” is uncommon English (frequency #76,258 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,258
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - dialogue, in an opera etc, that, rather than being sung as an aria, is reproduced with the rhythms of normal speech, often with simple musical accompaniment or harpsichord continuo, serving to expo...

Corpus desk

Index EN-recitative · recitative · English

recitative · rank #76,258 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #76,258
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH raver

Nearest frequency peer: raver (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “recitative”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “recitative” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for recitative
PropertyValue
Headwordrecitative
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɛsɪtəˈtiːv/
Letters10
Frequency rank#76,258
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “recitative” in English

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “raver” (#76,256), “rectus” (#76,260), “Rathore” (#76,255). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recitative” is #76,258. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

recitative is uncommon English at frequency #76,258 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ɹɛsɪtəˈtiːv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "dialogue, in an opera etc, that, rather than being sung as an aria, is reproduced with the rhythms of normal speech, often with simple musical accompaniment or harpsichord continuo, serving to expo...".

No generated misspelling entries exist for recitative in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Italian recitativo, from recitare, from Latin recitō. The correct English form is recitative, spelled R-E-C-I-T-A-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    dialogue, in an opera etc, that, rather than being sung as an aria, is reproduced with the rhythms of normal speech, often with simple musical accompaniment or harpsichord continuo, serving to expound the plot.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. In Gilbert and Sullivan's Patience, Bunthorne performs the recitative "Am I Alone and Unobserved?" before going on to his solo aria "If You're Anxious For To Shine".

Etymology

From Italian recitativo, from recitare, from Latin recitō.

This word in other languages

récitatif(Français)Rezitativ(Deutsch)recitativo(Português)

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 "recitative"?
"recitative" is spelled R-E-C-I-T-A-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɛsɪtəˈtiːv/.
What does "recitative" mean?
As a noun, "recitative" means: dialogue, in an opera etc, that, rather than being sung as an aria, is reproduced with the rhythms of normal speech, often with simple musical accompaniment or harpsichord continuo, serving to expo...
How do you pronounce "recitative"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recitative" is /ɹɛsɪtəˈtiːv/. 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 "recitative"?
From Italian recitativo, from recitare, from Latin recitō. 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 "recitative", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

puzzlement#76,246proscenium#76,240scrounging#76,308Patagonian#76,200

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list