# rectify

> English word · Verb · IPA /ˈɹɛktəˌfaɪ/ · frequency rank #23,377

## Definitions
1. To heal (an organ or part of the body).
2. To restore (someone or something) to its proper condition; to straighten out, to set right.
3. To remedy or fix (an undesirable state of affairs, situation etc.).
4. To purify or refine (a substance) by distillation.
5. To correct or amend (a mistake, defect etc.).
6. To correct (someone who is mistaken).
7. To adjust (a globe or sundial) to prepare for the solution of a proposed problem.
8. To convert (alternating current) into direct current.
9. To determine the length of a curve included between two limits.
10. To produce (as factitious gin or brandy) by redistilling bad wines or strong spirits (whisky, rum, etc.) with flavourings.

## Etymology
From Middle English rectifien, from Anglo-Norman rectifiier, rectefier (“to make straight”), from Medieval Latin rēctificō (“to make right”), from Latin rēctus (“straight”).

## Easily confused with
- **rectory** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/rectify-vs-rectory)
- **ratify** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ratify-vs-rectify)
- **Recife** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/recife-vs-rectify)

## Common misspellings (11)
`erctify`, `rcetify`, `recctify`, `recitfy`, `rectfiy`, `rectiffy`, `rectifyy`, `rectiyf`, `recttify`, `retcify`, `rrectify`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/rectify