respire
/ɹɪˈspʌɪə/
"respire" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“respire” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To breathe in and out successively.
Corpus desk
Index EN-respire · respire · English
respire · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
- LEN-LONG 7 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 | respire |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Verb |
| IPA | /ɹɪˈspʌɪə/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “respire” in English
Rare enough to double-check
respire is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed /ɹɪˈspʌɪə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.
We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for respire, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our dataset records no confusable match here, 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 English respiren, borrowed from Old French respirer or Latin respīrō (“to blow back, breathe out”), from re- (“back”) + spīrō (“to breathe, blow”). The correct English form is respire, spelled R-E-S-P-I-R-E.
Definition
- 1To breathe in and out successively.
- 2To breathe in and out successively.
- 3To take up oxygen and produce carbon dioxide (as animals do), or vice versa (as plants do).
- 4To (inhale and) exhale; to breathe.
- 5To recover hope, courage, or strength after a time of difficulty.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how respire appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The breath of heav'n fresh-blowing, pure and sweet, / With day-spring born; here leave me to respire.
Second Day.—Hold the breath five seconds. Respire, and hold the breath ten seconds. Respire, and hold the breath fifteen seconds.
Etymology
From Middle English respiren, borrowed from Old French respirer or Latin respīrō (“to blow back, breathe out”), from re- (“back”) + spīrō (“to breathe, blow”).
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.