redact

/ɹɪˈdækt/

//ɹɪˈdækt// verb

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

"redact" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“redact” is uncommon English (frequency #93,071 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#93,071
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To censor, to black out or remove parts of a document while leaving the remainder.

Corpus desk

Index EN-redact · redact · English

redact · rank #93,071 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #93,071
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH reduplication

Nearest frequency peer: reduplication (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “redact”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “redact” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for redact
PropertyValue
Headwordredact
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈdækt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#93,071
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “redact” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).redactfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “reduplication” (#93,073), “reabsorption” (#93,067), “reformulate” (#93,075). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “redact” is #93,071. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

redact is uncommon English at frequency #93,071 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹɪˈdækt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 10 senses are on record.

redact doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French redacter, from Latin redactus, perfect passive participle of redigō (“drive, lead, collect, reduce”), from re- (“back”) + agō (“put in motion, drive”). Piecewise doublet of react. The correct English form is redact, spelled R-E-D-A-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To censor, to black out or remove parts of a document while leaving the remainder.
  2. 2
    To black out legally protected sections of text in a document provided to opposing counsel, typically as part of the discovery process.
  3. 3
    To reduce to form, as literary matter; to digest and put in shape (matter for publication); to edit.
  4. 4
    To draw up or frame a decree, statement, etc.
  5. 5
    To bring together in one unit; to combine or bring together into one.
  6. 6
    To gather or organize works or ideas into a unified whole; to collect, order, or write in a written document or to put into a particular written form.
  7. 7
    To insert or assimilate into a written system or scheme.
  8. 8
    To bring an area of study within the comprehension capacity of a person.
  9. 9
    To reduce to a particular condition or state, especially one that is undesirable.
  10. 10
    To reduce something physical to a certain form, especially by destruction.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The military will redact the document before releasing it, blacking out sections that are classified.
  2. The names and email addresses of the users were redacted from the public data.

Etymology

From Old French redacter, from Latin redactus, perfect passive participle of redigō (“drive, lead, collect, reduce”), from re- (“back”) + agō (“put in motion, drive”). Piecewise doublet of react.

This word in other languages

redactar(Español)censurer(Français)bearbeiten(Deutsch)censurar(Português)

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 "redact"?
"redact" is spelled R-E-D-A-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈdækt/.
What does "redact" mean?
As a verb, "redact" means: To censor, to black out or remove parts of a document while leaving the remainder.
How do you pronounce "redact"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "redact" is /ɹɪˈdækt/. 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 "redact"?
From Old French redacter, from Latin redactus, perfect passive participle of redigō (“drive, lead, collect, reduce”), from re- (“back”) + agō (“put in motion, drive”). Piecewise doublet of react. 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 "redact", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rammer#93,061Ralphs#93,060Rijeka#93,088Rubino#93,100

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list