recourse
/ɹɪˈkɔːs/
"recourse" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“recourse” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #19,957. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #19,957
- frequency rank, English
- 3,094
- “R” headwords
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of seeking assistance or advice.
Corpus desk
Index EN-recourse · recourse · English
recourse · rank #19,957 · 11 variants · 4 confusables
- FREQ-MID #19,957
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
- VAR-MID 11 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,094
- PHOTO-FINISH readable
Nearest frequency peer: readable (-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.
Frequency neighbourhood for “recourse”
Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)
- quotations
quotations
80,047 corpus weight
- readable
readable
80,045 corpus weight
- recourse
recourse
80,044 corpus weight
- regimen
regimen
80,043 corpus weight
- removable
removable
80,042 corpus weight
- repaid
repaid
80,041 corpus weight
What this shows Bars show where “recourse” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.
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 | recourse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈkɔːs/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #19,957 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “recourse” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 11 spelling variants around recourse (IPA /ɹɪˈkɔːs/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #19,957 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for recourse, with forms such as "ercourse", "rceourse", and "reccourse". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "remorse", "resource", "recluse", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English recours (noun) and recoursen (verb), from Old French recours, from Latin recursus, past participle of recurrō. The correct English form is recourse, spelled R-E-C-O-U-R-S-E.
Definition
- 1The act of seeking assistance or advice.
- 2The use of (someone or something) as a source of help in a difficult situation.
- 3A coursing back, or coursing again; renewed course; return; retreat; recurrence.
- 4Access; admittance.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how recourse appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
Thus dyed this great Peer in the thirty sixth year of his age compleat, and three days over, in a time of great recourse unto him, and dependence upon him
All other means have fail'd to move her heart; / Our laſt recourſe is, therefore, to your Art.
Etymology
From Middle English recours (noun) and recoursen (verb), from Old French recours, from Latin recursus, past participle of recurrō.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as:
- ercourse
- rceourse
- reccourse
- recoruse
- recoures
- recourrse
- recoursse
- recousre
- recuorse
- reocurse
- rrecourse
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of recourse - 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 "recourse"?
What does "recourse" mean?
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "recourse", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).
Similar misspelling depth
Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).
What to do next
You've looked up "recourse". Here's where to go from here.
- "recourse" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "remorse". View pair
- 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
- Usage frequency rank #19,957 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
- Browse more English words in the "R" letter cohort. R–Z browse
- PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.
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.