repulse
/ɹɪˈpʌls/
"repulse" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“repulse” is an uncommon English word, ranked #50,192 in English word frequency and used as a verb.
- #50,192
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To repel or drive back.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | repulse |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈpʌls/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #50,192 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “repulse” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for repulse is 7 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈpʌls/. Corpus data places it at rank #50,192 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
No misspelling variants are generated for repulse in our index, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin repulsus, from repellere (“to drive back”), from re- (“back”) + pellere (“to drive”). For spelling, as in pulse, the -e (on -lse) is so the end is pronounced /ls/, rather than /lz/ as in pulls, and does not change the vowel (‘u’). Compar… The correct English form is repulse, spelled R-E-P-U-L-S-E.
Definition
- 1To repel or drive back.
- 2To reject or rebuff.
- 3To cause revulsion in; to repel.
Etymology
Borrowed from Latin repulsus, from repellere (“to drive back”), from re- (“back”) + pellere (“to drive”). For spelling, as in pulse, the -e (on -lse) is so the end is pronounced /ls/, rather than /lz/ as in pulls, and does not change the vowel (‘u’). Compare else, false, convulse.
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 "repulse"?
What does "repulse" mean?
How do you pronounce "repulse"?
What is the origin of the word "repulse"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “repulse”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-P-U-L-S-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ɹɪˈpʌls/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.