recursive

/ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)sɪv/

//ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)sɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“recursive” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,997. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,997
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - drawing upon itself, referring back.

Corpus desk

Index EN-recursive · recursive · English

recursive · rank #32,997 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,997
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rectal

Nearest frequency peer: rectal (-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 “recursive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “recursive” 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).

recursive vs repulsive
78% similar
recursive vs recessive
78% similar
recursive vs reclusive
78% similar

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

Key facts for recursive
PropertyValue
Headwordrecursive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)sɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#32,997
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “recursive”

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).recursivelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “rectal” (#32,996), “reevaluate” (#32,998), “renaming” (#32,999). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “recursive” is #32,997. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around recursive (IPA /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)sɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #32,997 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for recursive, with forms such as "ercursive", "rceursive", and "reccursive". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "repulsive", "recessive", "reclusive", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from New Latin recursīvus. Equivalent to recurse + -ive. The correct English form is recursive, spelled R-E-C-U-R-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    drawing upon itself, referring back.
  2. 2
    of an expression, each term of which is determined by applying a formula to preceding terms
  3. 3
    of a program or function that calls itself
  4. 4
    which can be computed by a theoretical model of a computer, in a finite amount of time
  5. 5
    whose characteristic function is recursive (4)

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The recursive nature of stories which borrow from each other

Etymology

Learned borrowing from New Latin recursīvus. Equivalent to recurse + -ive.

Antonyms

non-recursive

This word in other languages

recursivo(Español)récursif(Français)rekursiv(Deutsch)recursivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ercursive
  • rceursive
  • reccursive
  • recrusive
  • recurisve
  • recurrsive
  • recursiev
  • recursivve
  • recurssive
  • recursvie
  • recusrive
  • reucrsive
  • rrecursive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of recursive - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ercursive2rceursive2reccursive1recrusive2recurisve2recurrsive1recursiev2recursivve1
Edit distance from "recursive"

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 "recursive"?
"recursive" is spelled R-E-C-U-R-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)sɪv/.
What does "recursive" mean?
As an adjective, "recursive" means: drawing upon itself, referring back.
What words are commonly confused with "recursive"?
"recursive" is commonly confused with "repulsive", "recessive", "reclusive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "recursive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "recursive" is /ɹɪˈkɜː(ɹ)sɪv/. 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 "recursive"?
Learned borrowing from New Latin recursīvus. Equivalent to recurse + -ive. 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 "recursive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

reprimand#33,000predation#32,980posturing#32,976pluralism#32,972

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

reevaluate13 variantssweetener13 variantstaxonomic13 variantstorrential13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list