recover

/ɹɪˈkʌvə/

//ɹɪˈkʌvə// verb

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

"recover" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“recover” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,401. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,401
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
9
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal).

Corpus desk

Index EN-recover · recover · English

recover · rank #4,401 · 10 variants · 9 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,401
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 9 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH recommendatio…

Nearest frequency peer: recommendations (-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 “recover”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “recover” 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).

recover vs rover
71% similar
recover vs remove
71% similar
recover vs removed
71% similar

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

Key facts for recover
PropertyValue
Headwordrecover
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈkʌvə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#4,401
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs9
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “recover”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).recoverlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “recommendations” (#4,400), “regarded” (#4,402), “Polish” (#4,399). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recover” is #4,401. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around recover (IPA /ɹɪˈkʌvə/), averb. Corpus frequency is #4,401 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for recover, with forms such as "ercover", "rceover", and "reccover". 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. It also participates in 9 confusable-pair relationships, "rover", "remove", "removed", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English recoveren, rekeveren, from Anglo-Norman recoverer and Old French recovrer, from Latin recuperāre, alternative form of reciperāre. Doublet of recuperate. The noun is from Middle English recover, from the verb. The correct English form is recover, spelled R-E-C-O-V-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal).
  2. 2
    To salvage, to extricate, to rescue (a thing or person).
  3. 3
    To replenish to, resume (a good state of mind or body).
  4. 4
    To obtain a positive judgement; to win in a lawsuit.
  5. 5
    To gain as compensation or reparation, usually by formal legal process.
  6. 6
    To reach (a place), arrive at.
  7. 7
    To restore to good health, consciousness, life etc.
  8. 8
    To make good by reparation; to make up for; to retrieve; to repair the loss or injury of.
  9. 9
    To regain one's composure, balance etc.
  10. 10
    To get better, to regain health or prosperity.
  11. 11
    To recover from.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. After days of inquiries, he finally recovered his lost wallet.
  2. For days telescopes surveyed the skies to recover the small asteroid.

Etymology

From Middle English recoveren, rekeveren, from Anglo-Norman recoverer and Old French recovrer, from Latin recuperāre, alternative form of reciperāre. Doublet of recuperate. The noun is from Middle English recover, from the verb.

This word in other languages

recuperar(Español)recouvrer(Français)zurückgewinnen(Deutsch)recuperar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ercover
  • rceover
  • reccover
  • recoevr
  • recoverr
  • recovre
  • recovver
  • recvoer
  • reocver
  • rrecover

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of recover - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ercover2rceover2reccover1recoevr2recoverr1recovre2recovver1recvoer2
Edit distance from "recover"

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 "recover"?
"recover" is spelled R-E-C-O-V-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈkʌvə/.
What does "recover" mean?
As a verb, "recover" means: To get back, to regain (a physical thing; in astronomy and navigation, sight of a thing or a signal).
What words are commonly confused with "recover"?
"recover" is commonly confused with "rover", "remove", "removed". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "recover"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recover" is /ɹɪˈkʌvə/. 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 "recover"?
From Middle English recoveren, rekeveren, from Anglo-Norman recoverer and Old French recovrer, from Latin recuperāre, alternative form of reciperāre. Doublet of recuperate. The noun is from Middle English recover, from the verb. 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 "recover", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

succeed#4,414worship#4,423existed#4,375derived#4,366

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

worthy10 variantsdialogue10 variantsdefault10 variantscrucial10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list