repercussion

/ˌɹiː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən/

//ˌɹiː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən// noun

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

"repercussion" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“repercussion” is uncommon English (frequency #71,057 among 3,094 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#71,057
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A consequence or ensuing result of some action.

Corpus desk

Index EN-repercussion · repercussion · English

repercussion · rank #71,057 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #71,057
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH repartee

Nearest frequency peer: repartee (-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 “repercussion”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for repercussion
PropertyValue
Headwordrepercussion
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˌɹiː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən/
Letters12
Frequency rank#71,057
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “repercussion” 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).repercussionfalls in this rarity band:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Rare peers in the same band: “repartee” (#71,056), “repro” (#71,058), “repack” (#71,055). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “repercussion” is #71,057. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

repercussion is uncommon English at frequency #71,057 among 3,094 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˌɹiː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for repercussion, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French répercussion, from Latin repercussio (“rebounding; repercussion”), from repercutio (“cause to rebound, reflect, strike against”), from re- + percutio (“beat, strike”), from per- (“thoroughly”) + quatio (“shake”). The correct English form is repercussion, spelled R-E-P-E-R-C-U-S-S-I-O-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A consequence or ensuing result of some action.
  2. 2
    The act of driving back, or the state of being driven back; reflection; reverberation.
  3. 3
    Rapid reiteration of the same sound.
  4. 4
    The subsidence of a tumour or eruption by the action of a repellent.
  5. 5
    In a vaginal examination, the act of imparting through the uterine wall with the finger a shock to the foetus, so that it bounds upward, and falls back again against the examining finger.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. You realize this little stunt of yours is going to have some pretty serious repercussions.
  2. the repercussion of sound

Etymology

From Middle French répercussion, from Latin repercussio (“rebounding; repercussion”), from repercutio (“cause to rebound, reflect, strike against”), from re- + percutio (“beat, strike”), from per- (“thoroughly”) + quatio (“shake”).

Synonyms

aftereffectconsequence

This word in other languages

consecuencia(Español)conséquence(Français)Echo(Deutsch)repercussão(Português)

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 "repercussion"?
"repercussion" is spelled R-E-P-E-R-C-U-S-S-I-O-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌɹiː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən/.
What does "repercussion" mean?
As a noun, "repercussion" means: A consequence or ensuing result of some action.
How do you pronounce "repercussion"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "repercussion" is /ˌɹiː.pəˈkʌʃ.ən/. 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 "repercussion"?
From Middle French répercussion, from Latin repercussio (“rebounding; repercussion”), from repercutio (“cause to rebound, reflect, strike against”), from re- + percutio (“beat, strike”), from per- (“thoroughly”) + quatio (“shake”). 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 "repercussion", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

triphosphate#71,180Montparnasse#70,920undiminished#71,196misdiagnosis#70,906

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list