retell
/ɹiˈtɛl/verb
retell is spelled R-E-T-E-L-L: 6 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a verb, retell means “To tell again, often differently, what one has read or heard; to paraphrase” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in retell?
| Letters | 6: R-E-T-E-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 6 million words; the 71,529th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is retell?
Retell appears about once in every 6 million words in written English, the 71,529th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce retell?
- /ɹiˈtɛl/
Retell has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-retell.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with retell?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as retell.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: teller.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of retell
- retells present, singular, he/she/it
- retelling participle, present
- retold participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does retell mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
To tell again, often differently, what one has read or heard; to paraphrase.
She will retell the story from her perspective in the next meeting.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Retell in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense to tell again:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | raconter de nouveau, redire |
| German | wiedererzählen, nacherzählen |
| Spanish | contar de nuevo, redecir |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does retell come from?
From re- + tell.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).