relapse
/ɹɪˈlæps/verb, noun
relapse is spelled R-E-L-A-P-S-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, relapse means “To fall back again; to slide or turn back into a former state or practice” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in relapse?
| Letters | 7: R-E-L-A-P-S-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 19,077th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
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); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is relapse?
Relapse appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th 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 relapse?
- /ɹɪˈlæps/
- /ˈɹiːˌlæps/
Relapse 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-relapse1.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-relapse2.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-relapse.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with relapse?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as relapse.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: pleaser, presale.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of relapse
- relapses present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- relapsing participle, present
- relapsed participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does relapse mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To fall back again; to slide or turn back into a former state or practice.
He has improved recently but keeps relapsing into states of utter confusion.
- 2
To recur; to worsen, be aggravated (after a period of improvement).
- 3
informalTo return to a vice, especially self-harm or alcoholism, failing to maintain abstinence.
relapsed after 5 months of being clean
- 4
To slip or slide back physically; to turn back.
noun
- 1
The act or situation of relapsing.
a drug relapse
- 2
An occasion when a person becomes ill again after a period of improvement
- 3
obsoleteOne who has relapsed, or fallen back into error; a backslider.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Relapse in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | rechuter , rechute, récidive |
| German | zurückfallen , Rückfall, Rezidiv , sich verschlimmern, sich verschlechtern |
| Portuguese | reincidir, recair , recaída, relapso |
| Spanish | reincidir, recaer , recaída, recidiva, reincidencia , recidivar |
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 relapse come from?
From Latin relapsus, past participle of relabi (“to slide back, fall back”), from re- (“back”) + labi (“to slip, slide, fall”).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).