recorder

/ɹiˈkɔː.də/

//ɹiˈkɔː.də// noun

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

"recorder" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“recorder” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,096. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,096
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An apparatus for recording; a device which records.

Corpus desk

Index EN-recorder · recorder · English

recorder · rank #11,096 · 12 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,096
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rebuilding

Nearest frequency peer: rebuilding (-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 “recorder”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “recorder” 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).

recorder vs records
75% similar
recorder vs recover
75% similar
recorder vs reporter
75% similar

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

Key facts for recorder
PropertyValue
Headwordrecorder
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹiˈkɔː.də/
Letters8
Frequency rank#11,096
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “recorder”

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).recorderlands 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 “rebuilding” (#11,095), “recurring” (#11,097), “proudly” (#11,094). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recorder” is #11,096. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around recorder (IPA /ɹiˈkɔː.də/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,096 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for recorder, with forms such as "ercorder", "rceorder", and "reccorder". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "records", "recover", "reporter", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English recordour, borrowed from Old French recordour, from Old French recordeor, from Medieval Latin recordātor, from Latin recordor (“call to mind, remember, recollect”), from re- (“back, again”) + cor (“heart; mind”). By surface analysis, rec… The correct English form is recorder, spelled R-E-C-O-R-D-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An apparatus for recording; a device which records.
  2. 2
    Agent noun of record; one who records.
  3. 3
    A judge in a municipal court.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Between 8 and 9 p.m., the recorder at a meteorological station at Harrow, Middlesex, picked up 1,470 lightning flashes within a radius of 10 to 15 miles, and observers at the station described the storm as "probably one of the most spectacular of the century."
  2. A smartphone is not the best camera, notebook, word processor, audio recorder, radio, MP3 player, map reader, pedometer and so on, but it is good enough replace numerous separate devices for most people most of the time.

Etymology

From Middle English recordour, borrowed from Old French recordour, from Old French recordeor, from Medieval Latin recordātor, from Latin recordor (“call to mind, remember, recollect”), from re- (“back, again”) + cor (“heart; mind”). By surface analysis, record + -er.

This word in other languages

grabadora(Español)enregistreur(Français)Rekorder(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ercorder
  • rceorder
  • reccorder
  • recodrer
  • recordder
  • recorderr
  • recordre
  • recoredr
  • recorrder
  • recroder
  • reocrder
  • rrecorder

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of recorder - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ercorder2rceorder2reccorder1recodrer2recordder1recorderr1recordre2recoredr2
Edit distance from "recorder"

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 "recorder"?
"recorder" is spelled R-E-C-O-R-D-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹiˈkɔː.də/.
What does "recorder" mean?
As a noun, "recorder" means: An apparatus for recording; a device which records.
What words are commonly confused with "recorder"?
"recorder" is commonly confused with "records", "recover", "reporter". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "recorder"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recorder" is /ɹiˈkɔː.də/. 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 "recorder"?
From Middle English recordour, borrowed from Old French recordour, from Old French recordeor, from Medieval Latin recordātor, from Latin recordor (“call to mind, remember, recollect”), from re- (“back, again”) + cor (“heart; mind”). By surface ana... 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 "recorder", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

prophecy#11,093predator#11,089outdoors#11,083severity#11,114

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

recurring12 variantsscripts12 variantsmarginal12 variantstemplate12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list