repent

/ɹɪˈpɛnt/

//ɹɪˈpɛnt// verb

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

"repent" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“repent” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #18,416. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,416
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To feel pain, sorrow, or regret for what one has done or omitted to do; the cause for repenting may be indicated with "of".

Corpus desk

Index EN-repent · repent · English

repent · rank #18,416 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,416
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rescuing

Nearest frequency peer: rescuing (+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 “repent”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “repent” 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).

repent vs reset
67% similar
repent vs ripen
67% similar
repent vs report
67% similar

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

Key facts for repent
PropertyValue
Headwordrepent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ɹɪˈpɛnt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#18,416
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “repent”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).repentlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “rescuing” (#18,417), “Renault” (#18,414), “revert” (#18,418). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “repent” is #18,416. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around repent (IPA /ɹɪˈpɛnt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #18,416 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for repent, with forms such as "erpent", "reepnt", and "repennt". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "reset", "ripen", "report", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English repenten, from Old French repentir, from Vulgar Latin *repaenitīre, from Late Latin paenitīre, from Classical Latin paenitēre. Compare Modern French repentir. The correct English form is repent, spelled R-E-P-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To feel pain, sorrow, or regret for what one has done or omitted to do; the cause for repenting may be indicated with "of".
  2. 2
    To be sorry for sin as morally evil, and to seek forgiveness; to cease to practice sin and to love.
  3. 3
    To feel pain on account of; to remember with sorrow.
  4. 4
    To be sorry for, to regret.
  5. 5
    To cause to have sorrow or regret.
  6. 6
    To cause (oneself) to feel pain or regret.
  7. 7
    To change one's mind.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Marry in haste, repent at leisure.
  2. Then said he unto the disciples, It is impossible but that offences will come: but woe unto him, through whom they come! It were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he cast into the sea, than that he should offend one of these little ones. Take heed to yourselves: If thy brother trespass against thee, rebuke him; and if he repe…

Etymology

From Middle English repenten, from Old French repentir, from Vulgar Latin *repaenitīre, from Late Latin paenitīre, from Classical Latin paenitēre. Compare Modern French repentir.

Synonyms

afterthinkregretrue

This word in other languages

arrepentirse(Español)se repentir(Français)bereuen(Deutsch)arrepender(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erpent
  • reepnt
  • repennt
  • repentt
  • repetn
  • repnet
  • reppent
  • rpeent
  • rrepent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of repent - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

erpent2reepnt2repennt1repentt1repetn2repnet2reppent1rpeent2
Edit distance from "repent"

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 "repent"?
"repent" is spelled R-E-P-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈpɛnt/.
What does "repent" mean?
As a verb, "repent" means: To feel pain, sorrow, or regret for what one has done or omitted to do; the cause for repenting may be indicated with "of".
What words are commonly confused with "repent"?
"repent" is commonly confused with "reset", "ripen", "report". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "repent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "repent" is /ɹɪˈpɛnt/. 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 "repent"?
From Middle English repenten, from Old French repentir, from Vulgar Latin *repaenitīre, from Late Latin paenitīre, from Classical Latin paenitēre. Compare Modern French repentir. 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 "repent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

revert#18,418ridges#18,419rattle#18,409saliva#18,424

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

prowess9 variantsponder9 variantsstaffed9 variantssynth9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list