recondite
re·cond·ite/ˈɹɛkənˌdaɪt/adjective, noun
recondite is spelled R-E-C-O-N-D-I-T-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables (re·cond·ite). It appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 130,282nd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, recondite means “Difficult to grasp or understand; abstruse, profound” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in recondite?
| Letters | 9: R-E-C-O-N-D-I-T-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: re·cond·ite |
| In writing | about once in every 19 million words; the 130,282nd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is recondite?
Recondite appears about once in every 19 million words in written English, the 130,282nd 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 recondite?
- UK /ˈɹɛk(ə)nˌdaɪt/
- UK /ɹɪˈkɒndaɪt/
- US /ˈɹɛkənˌdaɪt/
Recondite has 3 syllables, split re·cond·ite in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-uk-recondite.oga, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of recondite
- more recondite comparative
- most recondite superlative
- recondites plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- reconditing participle, present
- recondited participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does recondite mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Difficult to grasp or understand; abstruse, profound.
a recondite tractate on alchemy
- 2
Little known; esoteric, secret.
- 3
Having mastery over one's field, including its esoteric minutiae; learned.
- 4
Deliberately employing abstruse or esoteric allusions or references; intentionally obscure.
The voices of recondite writers quoted at length, forgotten storytellers weaving narratives, obscure scholars savaging one another.
- 5
archaicHidden or removed from view.
- 6
archaicobsoleterareDifficult to see, especially because it is hidden by another structure.
- 7
archaicrareAvoiding notice (particularly human notice); having a tendency to hide; shy.
noun
- 1
rareA recondite (hidden or obscure) person or thing.
- 2
rareA scholar or other person who is recondite, that is, who has mastery over his or her field, including its esoteric minutiae.
verb
- 1
obsoleterareTo conceal, cover up, hide.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Recondite in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense difficult to grasp or understand – see also abstruse, profound:
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.