relict
/ˈɹɛlɪkt/
"relict" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“relict” is an uncommon English word, ranked #79,004 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #79,004
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Something that, or someone who, survives or remains or is left over after the loss of others; a relic.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | relict |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹɛlɪkt/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #79,004 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “relict” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for relict is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛlɪkt/. Corpus data places it at rank #79,004 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
relict doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English relicte (“widow”), from Middle French relicte (“widow”), from Late Latin relicta (“widow”), from Latin relictus, past participle of relinquō (“I abandon, I relinquish, I leave (behind)”), from re- + linquō (“I leave, quit, fors… The correct English form is relict, spelled R-E-L-I-C-T.
Definition
- 1Something that, or someone who, survives or remains or is left over after the loss of others; a relic.
- 2Something that, or someone who, survives or remains or is left over after the loss of others; a relic.
- 3Something that, or someone who, survives or remains or is left over after the loss of others; a relic.
- 4Something that, or someone who, survives or remains or is left over after the loss of others; a relic.
Etymology
Inherited from Middle English relicte (“widow”), from Middle French relicte (“widow”), from Late Latin relicta (“widow”), from Latin relictus, past participle of relinquō (“I abandon, I relinquish, I leave (behind)”), from re- + linquō (“I leave, quit, forsake, depart from”). Doublet of relic, derelict, and relinquish.
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
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Using “relict”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-L-I-C-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹɛlɪkt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.