recognition

/ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/

//ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n// noun

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

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

The verdict

“recognition” has 17 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,192. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,192
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
17
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of recognizing or the condition of being recognized (matching a current observation with a memory of a prior observation of the same entity).

Corpus desk

Index EN-recognition · recognition · English

recognition · rank #3,192 · 17 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,192
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 17 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH purchased

Nearest frequency peer: purchased (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “recognition”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “recognition” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for recognition
PropertyValue
Headwordrecognition
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/
Letters11
Frequency rank#3,192
Misspellings tracked17
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “recognition” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).recognitionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “purchased” (#3,191), “reputation” (#3,193), “province” (#3,190). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 17 spelling variants around recognition (IPA /ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #3,192 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for recognition, with forms such as "ercognition", "rceognition", and "reccognition". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English recognicion, from Middle French recognicion, recognition and its etymon Latin recognitiōnem (accusative of recognitiō), from recognitus, past participle of recognōscere. The correct English form is recognition, spelled R-E-C-O-G-N-I-T-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of recognizing or the condition of being recognized (matching a current observation with a memory of a prior observation of the same entity).
  2. 2
    Acceptance as valid or true.
  3. 3
    Official acceptance of the status of a new government by that of another country.
  4. 4
    Honour, favourable note, or attention.
  5. 5
    The propriety consisting for antibodies to bind to some specific antigens and not to others.
  6. 6
    A return of the feu to the superior.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He looked at her for ten full minutes before recognition dawned.
  2. Warwick observed, as they passed through the respectable quarter, that few people who met the girl greeted her, and that some others whom she passed at gates or doorways gave her no sign of recognition; from which he inferred that she was possibly a visitor in the town and not well acquainted.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English recognicion, from Middle French recognicion, recognition and its etymon Latin recognitiōnem (accusative of recognitiō), from recognitus, past participle of recognōscere.

This word in other languages

reconocimiento(Español)reconnaissance(Français)Erkennen(Deutsch)reconhecimento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ercognition
  • rceognition
  • reccognition
  • recgonition
  • recoggnition
  • recogintion
  • recogniiton
  • recognision
  • recognitino
  • recognitionn
  • recognitoin
  • recognittion
  • recognnition
  • recogntiion
  • recongition
  • reocgnition
  • rrecognition

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of recognition - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ercognition2rceognition2reccognition1recgonition2recoggnition1recogintion2recogniiton2recognision1
Edit distance from "recognition"

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 "recognition"?
"recognition" is spelled R-E-C-O-G-N-I-T-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/.
What does "recognition" mean?
As a noun, "recognition" means: The act of recognizing or the condition of being recognized (matching a current observation with a memory of a prior observation of the same entity).
What are common misspellings of "recognition"?
Common misspellings include "ercognition", "rceognition", "reccognition", "recgonition", "recoggnition". The correct spelling is "recognition".
How do you pronounce "recognition"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recognition" is /ˌɹɛkəɡˈnɪʃ(ə)n/. 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 "recognition"?
Inherited from Middle English recognicion, from Middle French recognicion, recognition and its etymon Latin recognitiōnem (accusative of recognitiō), from recognitus, past participle of recognōscere. 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 "recognition", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

immigration#3,172complicated#3,156partnership#3,120necessarily#3,117

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (17 here; floor ≥5).

enforcement17 variantsimprovement17 variantspublication17 variantsexplanation17 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "recognition". Here's where to go from here.

  • 17 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #3,192 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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