recluse
/ɹɪˈklus/obsolete
recluse is spelled R-E-C-L-U-S-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, recluse means “Sequestered; secluded, isolated” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in recluse?
| Letters | 7: R-E-C-L-U-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 31,974th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is recluse?
Recluse appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 31,974th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce recluse?
- /ɹɪˈkluːs/
- /ˈɹɛkluːs/
- US /ɹɪˈklus/
Recluse has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-recluse.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-recluse2.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with recluse?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as recluse from its last stressed vowel (/us/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of recluse
- more recluse comparative
- most recluse superlative
- recluses present, singular, he/she/it
- reclusing participle, present
- reclused participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does recluse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
archaicSequestered; secluded, isolated.
a recluse monk or hermit
- 2
archaicHidden, secret.
noun
- 1
archaicA person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especially for religious purposes; a hermit.
The recluse in the fable kept a cat to keep off the rats, and then a cow to feed the cat with milk, and a man to keep the cow and so on. My ambitions also grew like the family of the recluse.
- 2
archaicobsoleteThe place where a recluse dwells; a place of isolation or seclusion.
- 3
USarchaicEllipsis of recluse spider.
- 4
archaicSee also Thesaurus:recluse
verb
- 1
archaicobsoleteTo shut; to seclude.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Recluse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense a person who lives in self-imposed isolation or seclusion from the world, especi:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | reclus, recluse |
| German | Einsiedler, Eremit, Sonderling, Eigenbrötler, zurückgezogen lebender Mensch |
| Portuguese | recluso |
| Spanish | recluso, recluido |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does recluse come from?
From Old French reclus, past participle of reclure, from Latin reclūdere (“to disclose, to open”), from re- + claudō (“close”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).