reprisal

/ɹɪˈpɹaɪzəl/

//ɹɪˈpɹaɪzəl// noun

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

"reprisal" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reprisal” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #34,261. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#34,261
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of retaliation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reprisal · reprisal · English

reprisal · rank #34,261 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #34,261
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH rescind

Nearest frequency peer: rescind (+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 “reprisal”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reprisal” 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).

reprisal vs reprise
75% similar
reprisal vs retrial
75% similar

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

Key facts for reprisal
PropertyValue
Headwordreprisal
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ɹɪˈpɹaɪzəl/
Letters8
Frequency rank#34,261
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reprisal”

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).reprisallands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “rescind” (#34,262), “reshape” (#34,263), “reshaping” (#34,264). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reprisal” is #34,261. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around reprisal (IPA /ɹɪˈpɹaɪzəl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #34,261 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for reprisal, with forms such as "erprisal", "repirsal", and "repprisal". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "reprise", "retrial", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Anglo-Norman reprisaille (French représaille), from Old Italian ripresaglia (Italian rappresaglia), from ripreso, past participle of riprendere (“to take back”), from Latin reprendere, earlier reprehendere (see reprehend). The correct English form is reprisal, spelled R-E-P-R-I-S-A-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of retaliation.
  2. 2
    Something taken from an enemy in retaliation.
  3. 3
    The act of taking something from an enemy by way of retaliation or indemnity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. debatable ground, on which incursions and reprisals continued to take place

Etymology

From Anglo-Norman reprisaille (French représaille), from Old Italian ripresaglia (Italian rappresaglia), from ripreso, past participle of riprendere (“to take back”), from Latin reprendere, earlier reprehendere (see reprehend).

This word in other languages

represalia(Español)représailles(Français)Vergeltungsmaßnahme(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erprisal
  • repirsal
  • repprisal
  • repriasl
  • reprisall
  • reprisla
  • reprissal
  • reprrisal
  • reprsial
  • rerpisal
  • rperisal
  • rreprisal

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

erprisal2repirsal2repprisal1repriasl2reprisall1reprisla2reprissal1reprrisal1
Edit distance from "reprisal"

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 "reprisal"?
"reprisal" is spelled R-E-P-R-I-S-A-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈpɹaɪzəl/.
What does "reprisal" mean?
As a noun, "reprisal" means: An act of retaliation.
What words are commonly confused with "reprisal"?
"reprisal" is commonly confused with "reprise", "retrial". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reprisal"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reprisal" is /ɹɪˈpɹaɪzəl/. 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 "reprisal"?
From Anglo-Norman reprisaille (French représaille), from Old Italian ripresaglia (Italian rappresaglia), from ripreso, past participle of riprendere (“to take back”), from Latin reprendere, earlier reprehendere (see reprehend). 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 "reprisal", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

savagery#34,273Pyrenees#34,245seething#34,277punisher#34,242

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

shearing12 variantspreamble12 variantsspoonful12 variantsoffsetting12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list