recoup
/ɹɪˈkup/verb
recoup is spelled R-E-C-O-U-P: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, recoup means “To make back (an investment or similar)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in recoup?
| Letters | 6: R-E-C-O-U-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 1 million words; the 29,649th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is recoup?
Recoup appears about once in every 1 million words in written English, the 29,649th 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 recoup?
- UK /ɹɪˈkuːp/
- US /ɹɪˈkup/
- Australia /ɹɪˈkʉːp/
Recoup has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Back_ache-recoup.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with recoup?
11 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as recoup from its last stressed vowel (/up/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: couper.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of recoup
- recoups present, singular, he/she/it
- recouping participle, present
- recouped participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does recoup mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To make back (an investment or similar).
He barely managed to recoup his money. He sold out for just what he had invested.
- 2
To recover from an error.
- 3
To keep back rightfully (a part), as if by cutting off, so as to diminish a sum due; to take off (a part) from damages; to deduct.
A landlord recouped the rent of premises from damages awarded to the plaintiff for eviction.
- 4
To reimburse; to indemnify; often used reflexively and in the passive voice.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Recoup in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to make back, as an investment:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | recuperar |
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.
Where does recoup come from?
From French recouper (“cut short”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).