reconnaissance

/ɹiˈkɒnəsəns/

//ɹiˈkɒnəsəns// noun

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

"reconnaissance" is a 14-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reconnaissance” has 18 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,108. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,108
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
18
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of scouting or exploring (especially military or medical) to gain information.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reconnaissance · reconnaissance · English

reconnaissance · rank #16,108 · 18 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,108
  • LEN-MEGA 14 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 18 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH recognizable

Nearest frequency peer: recognizable (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “reconnaissance”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reconnaissance” 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
Key facts for reconnaissance
PropertyValue
Headwordreconnaissance
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹiˈkɒnəsəns/
Letters14
Frequency rank#16,108
Misspellings tracked18
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reconnaissance”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).reconnaissancelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “recognizable” (#16,107), “regent” (#16,109), “recap” (#16,106). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reconnaissance” is #16,108. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 18 spelling variants around reconnaissance (IPA /ɹiˈkɒnəsəns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #16,108 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Dominant gloss: "The act of scouting or exploring (especially military or medical) to gain information.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 18 likely wrong-spelling variants for reconnaissance, with forms such as "erconnaissance", "rceonnaissance", and "recconnaissance". 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. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from French reconnaissance (“recognition”). Doublet of recognizance. The correct English form is reconnaissance, spelled R-E-C-O-N-N-A-I-S-S-A-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of scouting or exploring (especially military or medical) to gain information.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The third member, Sergeant Pieter Rousseau, had been with the back-up teams at the Hub; he was an expert on space reconnaissance instrumentation, but on this trip he would have to depend on his own eyes and a small portable telescope.

Etymology

Borrowed from French reconnaissance (“recognition”). Doublet of recognizance.

This word in other languages

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

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erconnaissance
  • rceonnaissance
  • recconnaissance
  • recnonaissance
  • reconaissance
  • reconanissance
  • reconnaisance
  • reconnaisasnce
  • reconnaissacne
  • reconnaissancce
  • reconnaissanec
  • reconnaissannce
  • reconnaissence
  • reconnaissnace
  • reconnasisance
  • reconniassance
  • reocnnaissance
  • rreconnaissance

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erconnaissance2rceonnaissance2recconnaissance1recnonaissance2reconaissance1reconanissance2reconnaisance1reconnaisasnce2
Edit distance from "reconnaissance"

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 "reconnaissance"?
"reconnaissance" is spelled R-E-C-O-N-N-A-I-S-S-A-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹiˈkɒnəsəns/.
What does "reconnaissance" mean?
As a noun, "reconnaissance" means: The act of scouting or exploring (especially military or medical) to gain information.
What are common misspellings of "reconnaissance"?
Common misspellings include "erconnaissance", "rceonnaissance", "recconnaissance", "recnonaissance", "reconaissance". The correct spelling is "reconnaissance".
How do you pronounce "reconnaissance"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reconnaissance" is /ɹiˈkɒnəsəns/. 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 "reconnaissance"?
Borrowed from French reconnaissance (“recognition”). Doublet of recognizance. 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 "reconnaissance", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 14 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scientifically#16,119groundbreaking#15,826discriminatory#15,804apprenticeship#15,571

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (18 here; floor ≥5).

reluctantly18 variantsneuroscience18 variantscontingency18 variantsundocumented18 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list