rectitude
/ˈɹɛk.tə.tuːd/noun
rectitude is spelled R-E-C-T-I-T-U-D-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, rectitude means “Straightness; the state or quality of having a constant direction and not being crooked or bent” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of rectitude is rectitudes.
How many letters and syllables are in rectitude?
| Letters | 9: R-E-C-T-I-T-U-D-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 76,798th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| 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 rectitude?
Rectitude appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 76,798th 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 rectitude?
- UK /ˈɹɛk.tɪ.tjuːd/
- UK /ˈɹɛk.tə.tjuːd/
- US /ˈɹɛk.tə.tuːd/
Rectitude has 3 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: En-us-rectitude.ogg, En-au-rectitude.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with rectitude?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as rectitude (/ɛktətud/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: certitude.
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 rectitude
- rectitudes plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does rectitude mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
Straightness; the state or quality of having a constant direction and not being crooked or bent.
- 2
archaicThe fact or quality of being right or correct; correctness of opinion or judgement.
- 3
Conformity to the rules prescribed for moral conduct; (moral) uprightness, virtue.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Rectitude in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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 rectitude come from?
From Middle English rectitude, from Middle French rectitude, from Late Latin rectitūdō (“straightness, uprightness”), from Latin rectus (“straight”), perfect passive participle of regō (“regulate, guide”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).