remorse

/ɹɪˈmɔː(ɹ)s/

//ɹɪˈmɔː(ɹ)s// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"remorse" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“remorse” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #15,258. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,258
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning.

Corpus desk

Index EN-remorse · remorse · English

remorse · rank #15,258 · 10 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #15,258
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH Reich

Nearest frequency peer: Reich (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “remorse”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “remorse” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

remorse vs remove
71% similar
remorse vs remote
71% similar
remorse vs repose
71% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for remorse
PropertyValue
Headwordremorse
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈmɔː(ɹ)s/
Letters7
Frequency rank#15,258
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “remorse”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).remorselands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “Reich” (#15,257), “regained” (#15,256), “refinery” (#15,255). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “remorse” is #15,258. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around remorse (IPA /ɹɪˈmɔː(ɹ)s/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,258 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for remorse, with forms such as "ermorse", "remmorse", and "remores". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "remove", "remote", "repose", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested circa 14th century as Middle English remors, from Old French remors, from Medieval Latin remorsus, from Latin remordeō (“to torment, vex”, literally “to bite back”), from re- + mordeō (“to bite”). More at remord. The correct English form is remorse, spelled R-E-M-O-R-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning.
  2. 2
    Sorrow; pity; compassion.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how remorse appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. In criminal proceedings, empirical studies have shown that remorse plays an important role in observers’ judgments of defendants.
  2. Failure, disgrace, poverty, sorrow, despair, suffering, tears even, the broken words that come from lips in pain, remorse that makes one walk on thorns, conscience that condemns . . . —all these were things of which I was afraid.

Etymology

First attested circa 14th century as Middle English remors, from Old French remors, from Medieval Latin remorsus, from Latin remordeō (“to torment, vex”, literally “to bite back”), from re- + mordeō (“to bite”). More at remord.

Synonyms

agenbiteremorserueruthcompunctioncontritionguiltpenitencerepentanceself-reproachsorriness

Antonyms

apathyirrepentancenonrepentanceunremorsefulnessunrepentance

This word in other languages

remordimiento(Español)remords(Français)Reue(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ermorse
  • remmorse
  • remores
  • remorrse
  • remorsse
  • remosre
  • remrose
  • reomrse
  • rmeorse
  • rremorse

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of remorse - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ermorse2remmorse1remores2remorrse1remorsse1remosre2remrose2reomrse2
Edit distance from "remorse"

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

How do you spell "remorse"?
"remorse" is spelled R-E-M-O-R-S-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈmɔː(ɹ)s/.
What does "remorse" mean?
As a noun, "remorse" means: A feeling of regret or sadness for doing wrong or sinning.
What words are commonly confused with "remorse"?
"remorse" is commonly confused with "remove", "remote", "repose". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "remorse"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "remorse" is /ɹɪˈmɔː(ɹ)s/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "remorse"?
First attested circa 14th century as Middle English remors, from Old French remors, from Medieval Latin remorsus, from Latin remordeō (“to torment, vex”, literally “to bite back”), from re- + mordeō (“to bite”). More at remord. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "remorse", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

radiant#15,252Quentin#15,251shuffle#15,272skyline#15,276

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

stacks10 variantsmust've10 variantstrance10 variantsmalware10 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list