repine
/ɹɪˈpaɪn/
"repine" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“repine” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 6
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To complain; to regret; to fret.
Corpus desk
Index EN-repine · repine · English
repine · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 6 letters
- VOW-3 3 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-THIN "R" thin
- PHOTO-UNK Peer pending
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.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | repine |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈpaɪn/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “repine” in English
Rare enough to double-check
repine is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹɪˈpaɪn/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for repine in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Believed to have been formed (with uncertainty, due to the unusual formation) as re- + pine, with the verb giving rise to the noun (first attested in 1529 and 1593 respectively); compare the Middle English verb repinen (“(uncertain) to cause trouble to some… The correct English form is repine, spelled R-E-P-I-N-E.
Definition
- 1To complain; to regret; to fret.
- 2To long for (something) discontentedly; to pine.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how repine appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
[VV]e are able with playne demonſtration to proue, and vvith reaſon to perſvvade that in tymes paſt our fayth vvas alike, that then vve preached thinges correſpondent vnto the forme of faith already published of vs, ſo that none in this behalfe can repyne or gaynesay vs.
But many times we complaine, repine, and mutter without cauſe, wee giue way to paſſions, we may reſiſt and will not.
Etymology
Believed to have been formed (with uncertainty, due to the unusual formation) as re- + pine, with the verb giving rise to the noun (first attested in 1529 and 1593 respectively); compare the Middle English verb repinen (“(uncertain) to cause trouble to someone, grieve”) (from pīnen (“to cause pain, grieve, hurt, trouble; to starve, pine; to torment, torture”), from Old English pīnian), which may be related.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.