recursion

/ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)ʒən/

//ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)ʒən// noun

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

"recursion" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“recursion” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #44,443. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#44,443
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The act of recurring.

Corpus desk

Index EN-recursion · recursion · English

recursion · rank #44,443 · 14 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #44,443
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH recur

Nearest frequency peer: recur (-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 “recursion”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “recursion” 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).

recursion vs recursive
78% similar
recursion vs revulsion
78% similar
recursion vs repulsion
78% similar

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

Key facts for recursion
PropertyValue
Headwordrecursion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)ʒən/
Letters9
Frequency rank#44,443
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “recursion”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).recursionlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “recur” (#44,442), “reconsideration” (#44,441), “recharging” (#44,440). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recursion” is #44,443. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around recursion (IPA /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)ʒən/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #44,443 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for recursion, with forms such as "ercursion", "rceursion", and "reccursion". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "recursive", "revulsion", "repulsion", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin recursiō (“the act of running back or again, return”), from recurrō (“run back; return”), from re- (“back, again”) + currō (“run”). The correct English form is recursion, spelled R-E-C-U-R-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    The act of recurring.
  2. 2
    The act of defining an object (usually a function) in terms of that object itself.
  3. 3
    The invocation of a procedure from within itself.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The inhabitants predicate the recursion of these storms by numerous other signs, and are prompt to take every precaution to avoid their effects.
  2. n! = n × (n − 1)! (for n > 0) or 1 (for n = 0) defines the factorial function using recursion.

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin recursiō (“the act of running back or again, return”), from recurrō (“run back; return”), from re- (“back, again”) + currō (“run”).

This word in other languages

Rekursion(Deutsch)recorrência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ercursion
  • rceursion
  • reccursion
  • recrusion
  • recurison
  • recurrsion
  • recursino
  • recursionn
  • recursoin
  • recurssion
  • recurtion
  • recusrion
  • reucrsion
  • rrecursion

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of recursion - 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.

ercursion2rceursion2reccursion1recrusion2recurison2recurrsion1recursino2recursionn1
Edit distance from "recursion"

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 "recursion"?
"recursion" is spelled R-E-C-U-R-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)ʒən/.
What does "recursion" mean?
As a noun, "recursion" means: The act of recurring.
What words are commonly confused with "recursion"?
"recursion" is commonly confused with "recursive", "revulsion", "repulsion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "recursion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recursion" is /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)ʒən/. 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 "recursion"?
Borrowed from Latin recursiō (“the act of running back or again, return”), from recurrō (“run back; return”), from re- (“back, again”) + currō (“run”). 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 "recursion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reportage#44,452pubescent#44,425provident#44,424Salamanca#44,468

Similar misspelling depth

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

postnatal14 variantsscheduler14 variantsshakedown14 variantsshamefully14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list