reflect
/ɹɪˈflɛkt/verb
reflect is spelled R-E-F-L-E-C-T: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, reflect means “To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in reflect?
| Letters | 7: R-E-F-L-E-C-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 25 times per million words; the 3,683rd most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is reflect?
Reflect appears 25 times per million words in written English, the 3,683rd 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 reflect?
- /ɹɪˈflɛkt/
Reflect has 2 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-reflect.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of reflect
- reflects present, singular, he/she/it
- reflecting participle, present
- reflected participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does reflect mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To bend back (light, etc.) from a surface.
A mirror reflects the light that shines on it.
- 2
To be bent back (light, etc.) from a surface.
The moonlight reflected from the surface of water.
- 3
To mirror, or show the image of something.
The shop window reflected his image as he walked past.
- 4
To be mirrored.
His image reflected from the shop window as he walked past.
- 5
To agree with; to closely follow.
Entries in English dictionaries aim to reflect common usage.
- 6
To give evidence of someone's or something's character etc.
The team's victory reflects the Captain's abilities.
- 7
To think seriously; to ponder or consider.
People do that sort of thing every day, without ever stopping to reflect on the consequences.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Reflect in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | refléter, réfléchir , se refléter |
| German | reflektieren, zurückspiegeln, spiegeln , sich spiegeln, gespiegelt werden , widerspiegeln |
| Portuguese | refletir |
| Spanish | reflejar, reflectar , reflejarse |
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 reflect come from?
From Old French reflecter (“to bend back, turn back”), from Latin reflectō (“to reflect”), from re- (“again”) + flectō (“to bend, to curve”). Compare English reflex.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).