repentant

/ɹəˈpɛntənt/

//ɹəˈpɛntənt// adj

"repentant" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“repentant” is uncommon English (frequency #53,811 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#53,811
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Feeling or showing sorrow for wrongdoing.

Corpus desk

Index EN-repentant · repentant · English

repentant · rank #53,811 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #53,811
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rending

Nearest frequency peer: rending (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “repentant”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “repentant” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for repentant
PropertyValue
Headwordrepentant
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹəˈpɛntənt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#53,811
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “repentant” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).repentantfalls in this rarity band:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “rending” (#53,810), “reportable” (#53,812), “reprogram” (#53,813). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “repentant” is #53,811. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

repentant is uncommon English at frequency #53,811 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɹəˈpɛntənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Feeling or showing sorrow for wrongdoing.".

No misspelling variants are generated for repentant in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French repentant, present participle of repentir. The correct English form is repentant, spelled R-E-P-E-N-T-A-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Feeling or showing sorrow for wrongdoing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. I cannot believe that God wants us to kill no matter if this man is a sinner. God’s greatest commandment is one of love, not hate and revenge. I believe that this man is repentant for his wrongdoings. He has asked for forgiveness.

Etymology

From Old French repentant, present participle of repentir.

This word in other languages

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 "repentant"?
"repentant" is spelled R-E-P-E-N-T-A-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹəˈpɛntənt/.
What does "repentant" mean?
As an adjective, "repentant" means: Feeling or showing sorrow for wrongdoing.
How do you pronounce "repentant"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "repentant" is /ɹəˈpɛntənt/. 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 "repentant"?
From Old French repentant, present participle of 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 "repentant", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list