recurrence

/rəˈkɝ.əns/

//rəˈkɝ.əns// noun

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

"recurrence" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“recurrence” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #22,482. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,482
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Return or reversion to a certain state.

Corpus desk

Index EN-recurrence · recurrence · English

recurrence · rank #22,482 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,482
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH recapture

Nearest frequency peer: recapture (-2 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 “recurrence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “recurrence” 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).

recurrence vs recurrent
80% similar
recurrence vs resurgence
80% similar

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

Key facts for recurrence
PropertyValue
Headwordrecurrence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/rəˈkɝ.əns/
Letters10
Frequency rank#22,482
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “recurrence”

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

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “recapture” (#22,480), “refinement” (#22,484), “realisation” (#22,479). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recurrence” is #22,482. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around recurrence (IPA /rəˈkɝ.əns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #22,482 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for recurrence, with forms such as "ercurrence", "rceurrence", and "reccurrence". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "recurrent", "resurgence", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From recurrent + -ence, cognate with Latin recurrentia, from recurrēns (“returning back, recurring”), form of recurrō (“I return, I recur”) (English recur). The correct English form is recurrence, spelled R-E-C-U-R-R-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Return or reversion to a certain state.
  2. 2
    The instance of recurring; frequent occurrence.
  3. 3
    A return of symptoms as part of the natural progress of a disease.
  4. 4
    Recourse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I shall insensibly go on from a rare to a frequent recurrence to the dangerous preparations.
  2. Near-synonym: relapse

Etymology

From recurrent + -ence, cognate with Latin recurrentia, from recurrēns (“returning back, recurring”), form of recurrō (“I return, I recur”) (English recur).

Synonyms

recurrencyreoccurrencereoccurrence

This word in other languages

recaída(Español)récurrence(Français)Rückfall(Deutsch)retorno(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ercurrence
  • rceurrence
  • reccurrence
  • recrurence
  • recurence
  • recurernce
  • recurrance
  • recurrecne
  • recurrencce
  • recurrenec
  • recurrennce
  • recurrnece
  • reucrrence
  • rrecurrence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of recurrence - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ercurrence2rceurrence2reccurrence1recrurence2recurence1recurernce2recurrance1recurrecne2
Edit distance from "recurrence"

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 "recurrence"?
"recurrence" is spelled R-E-C-U-R-R-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /rəˈkɝ.əns/.
What does "recurrence" mean?
As a noun, "recurrence" means: Return or reversion to a certain state.
What words are commonly confused with "recurrence"?
"recurrence" is commonly confused with "recurrent", "resurgence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "recurrence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recurrence" is /rəˈkɝ.əns/. 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 "recurrence"?
From recurrent + -ence, cognate with Latin recurrentia, from recurrēns (“returning back, recurring”), form of recurrō (“I return, I recur”) (English recur). 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 "recurrence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

refinement#22,484researches#22,489patrolling#22,466skyscraper#22,508

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

partridge14 variantsonslaught14 variantsobscurity14 variantsspiderman14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list