recollection
/ɹɛkəˈlɛkʃən/
"recollection" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“recollection” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #20,202 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #20,202
- frequency rank, English
- 12
- letters
- 17
- tracked misspellings
- 1
- confusable pair
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The act of recollecting, or recalling to the memory; the act of recalling to memory.
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 | recollection |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɛkəˈlɛkʃən/ |
| Letters | 12 |
| Frequency rank | #20,202 |
| Misspellings tracked | 17 |
| Confusable pairs | 1 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “recollection” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for recollection is 12 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɛkəˈlɛkʃən/. Corpus data places it at rank #20,202 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 17 likely wrong-spelling variants for recollection, with forms such as "ercollection", "rceollection", and "reccollection". 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. It also participates in 1 confusable-pair relationship, "recollections", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: Via French récollection or the verb recollect, both from Latin recollectus, the past participle of recolligere (“to collect again”), itself from re- + colligere (“to gather”). The correct English form is recollection, spelled R-E-C-O-L-L-E-C-T-I-O-N.
Definition
- 1The act of recollecting, or recalling to the memory; the act of recalling to memory.
- 2The power of recalling ideas to the mind, or the period within which things can be recollected; remembrance.
- 3That which is recollected; something called to mind; a reminiscence.
- 4The act or practice of collecting or concentrating the mind; concentration; self-control.
- 5A spiritual retreat, especially one that is short.
Etymology
Via French récollection or the verb recollect, both from Latin recollectus, the past participle of recolligere (“to collect again”), itself from re- + colligere (“to gather”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ercollection,rceollection,reccollection,reclolection,recolection,recolelction,recollcetion,recollecction,recolleciton,recollecsion,recollectino,recollectionn,recollectoin,recollecttion,recolletcion,reocllection,rrecollection
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of recollection - 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 "recollection"?
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Using “recollection”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-C-O-L-L-E-C-T-I-O-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɛkəˈlɛkʃən/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “recollections” - see the side-by-side comparison. recollection vs recollections
- 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.