regret
/ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/verb, noun
regret is spelled R-E-G-R-E-T: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,814th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, regret means “To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened…” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in regret?
| Letters | 6: R-E-G-R-E-T |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 23 times per million words; the 3,814th 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 regret?
Regret appears 23 times per million words in written English, the 3,814th 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 regret?
- /ɹɪˈɡɹɛt/
- /ɹəˈɡɹɛt/
- /ɹiˈɡɹɛt/
Regret 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-regret.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of regret
- regrets present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- regretting participle, present
- regretted participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does regret mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To feel sorry about (a thing that has or has not happened), afterthink: to wish that a thing had not happened, that something else had happened instead.
He regretted his words.
- 2
To feel sorry about (any thing).
I regret that I have to do this, but I don't have a choice.
- 3
archaicTo miss; to feel the loss or absence of; to mourn.
noun
- 1
Emotional pain on account of something done or experienced in the past, with a wish that it had been different; a looking back with dissatisfaction or with longing.
- 2
obsoleteDislike; aversion.
- 3
The amount of avoidable loss that results from choosing the wrong action.
- 4
One who was invited to an event who was unable to attend, but notified the organizer of this beforehand; a nonattendee.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Regret in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | regretter , regret |
| German | bedauern, bereuen, leidtun , Reue, Bedauern |
| Portuguese | arrepender-se, lamentar , pesar, arrependimento, remorso |
| Spanish | lamentar, arrepentirse [de], repentirse [de], compungirse , pesar, arrepentimiento |
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.