reminiscence
/ˌɹɛm.əˈnɪs.əns/noun
reminiscence is spelled R-E-M-I-N-I-S-C-E-N-C-E: 12 letters and 4 syllables. It appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, reminiscence means “An act of remembering long-past experiences, especially positive or pleasant ones, often fondly” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of reminiscence is reminiscences.
How many letters and syllables are in reminiscence?
| Letters | 12: R-E-M-I-N-I-S-C-E-N-C-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 3 million words; the 49,949th 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 reminiscence?
Reminiscence appears about once in every 3 million words in written English, the 49,949th 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 reminiscence?
- /ˌɹɛm.əˈnɪs.əns/
Reminiscence has 4 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)-Vininn126-reminiscence.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of reminiscence
- reminiscences plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does reminiscence mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
An act of remembering long-past experiences, especially positive or pleasant ones, often fondly.
- 2
A mental image thus remembered.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Reminiscence in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | Erinnern , Erinnerung, Erinnerungen, Rückerinnerung, Reminiszenz |
| Spanish | reminiscencia, rememoración |
| French | réminiscence |
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 reminiscence come from?
From Late Latin reminīscentiae (“remembrances”), from Latin reminīscēns, present active participle of reminīscor (“remember”); see reminiscent.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).