recoil

/ɹɪˈkɔɪl/

//ɹɪˈkɔɪl// noun

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

"recoil" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“recoil” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,785. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,785
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
7
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking.

Corpus desk

Index EN-recoil · recoil · English

recoil · rank #22,785 · 8 variants · 7 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,785
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 7 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH ragged

Nearest frequency peer: ragged (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “recoil”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “recoil” 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).

recoil vs recon
67% similar
recoil vs record
67% similar
recoil vs retail
67% similar

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

Key facts for recoil
PropertyValue
Headwordrecoil
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈkɔɪl/
Letters6
Frequency rank#22,785
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs7
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “recoil”

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).recoillands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “ragged” (#22,783), “redo” (#22,787), “raffle” (#22,782). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recoil” is #22,785. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around recoil (IPA /ɹɪˈkɔɪl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,785 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for recoil, with forms such as "ercoil", "rceoil", and "reccoil". 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 7 confusable-pair relationships, "recon", "record", "retail", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French reculer. Further from Latin re- + cūlus. The correct English form is recoil, spelled R-E-C-O-I-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking.
  2. 2
    The state or condition of having recoiled.
  3. 3
    The energy transmitted back to the shooter from a firearm which has fired. Recoil is a function of the weight of the weapon, the weight of the projectile, and the speed at which it leaves the muzzle.
  4. 4
    An escapement in which, after each beat, the scape-wheel recoils slightly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. the recoil of nature, or of the blood
  2. The recoil from formalism is skepticism.

Etymology

From Old French reculer. Further from Latin re- + cūlus.

Synonyms

kick

This word in other languages

retroceso(Español)recul(Français)Rückstoß(Deutsch)coice(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ercoil
  • rceoil
  • reccoil
  • reciol
  • recoill
  • recoli
  • reocil
  • rrecoil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ercoil2rceoil2reccoil1reciol2recoill1recoli2reocil2rrecoil1
Edit distance from "recoil"

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 "recoil"?
"recoil" is spelled R-E-C-O-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈkɔɪl/.
What does "recoil" mean?
As a noun, "recoil" means: A starting or falling back; a rebound; a shrinking.
What words are commonly confused with "recoil"?
"recoil" is commonly confused with "recon", "record", "retail". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "recoil"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recoil" is /ɹɪˈkɔɪl/. 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 "recoil"?
From Old French reculer. Further from Latin re- + cūlus. 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 "recoil", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

ragged#22,783raffle#22,782rejoin#22,788ornate#22,759

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

plump8 variantsSeville8 variantsshrub8 variantsoculus8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list