reticence

/ˈɹɛtɪs(ə)ns/

//ˈɹɛtɪs(ə)ns// noun

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

"reticence" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reticence” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #47,304. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#47,304
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Avoidance of saying or reluctance to say too much; discretion, tight-lippedness; (countable) an instance of acting in this manner.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reticence · reticence · English

reticence · rank #47,304 · 14 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #47,304
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH restocking

Nearest frequency peer: restocking (-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 “reticence”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reticence” 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).

reticence vs reticent
78% similar
reticence vs residence
78% similar

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

Key facts for reticence
PropertyValue
Headwordreticence
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɹɛtɪs(ə)ns/
Letters9
Frequency rank#47,304
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reticence”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).reticencelands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “restocking” (#47,303), “reversion” (#47,305), “reprogramming” (#47,302). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reticence” is #47,304. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around reticence (IPA /ˈɹɛtɪs(ə)ns/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #47,304 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for reticence, with forms such as "erticence", "reitcence", and "retcience". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "reticent", "residence", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is borrowed from Middle French réticence (“act of keeping silent, silence; reserve; aposiopesis”) (modern French réticence (“tight-lippedness, reticence”)), or derived from its etymon Latin reticentia (“act of keeping silent, silence; aposiopesis”)… The correct English form is reticence, spelled R-E-T-I-C-E-N-C-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Avoidance of saying or reluctance to say too much; discretion, tight-lippedness; (countable) an instance of acting in this manner.
  2. 2
    A silent and reserved nature.
  3. 3
    Followed by of: discretion or restraint in the use of something.
  4. 4
    Often followed by to: hesitancy or reluctance (to do something).
  5. 5
    Synonym of aposiopesis (“an abrupt breaking-off in speech”).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [Y]ou paſſe ouer their teſtimonies, & his whole diſcourſe out of them, with a fraudulent reticence of the particulars, and thinke to be euen with them, making vp by ſcoffing, what you cannot by arguing, [...]
  2. It must not be numbered among the obliviscences and reticenses of the candid reader, that this man, who had been [...] declared by the head of the Church of Christ, in a public instrument for the instruction and direction of all the faithful, that he was a man of very unsound doctrine, and guilty of many outrages against the holy see, should have been sel…

Etymology

The noun is borrowed from Middle French réticence (“act of keeping silent, silence; reserve; aposiopesis”) (modern French réticence (“tight-lippedness, reticence”)), or derived from its etymon Latin reticentia (“act of keeping silent, silence; aposiopesis”), from reticēns (“keeping silent, reticent, silent; keeping secret, concealing”) + -ia (suffix forming feminine abstract nouns). Reticēns is the present active participle of reticeō (“to keep silent; to keep secret, conceal”), from re- (prefix meaning ‘again’) + taceō (“to be silent, keep quiet”) (possibly ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *tak- or *tHk-). The English word is cognate with Italian reticenza (“reticence”), Portuguese reticência, Spanish reticencia (“reticence; reluctance”). The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

reticencia(Español)réticence(Français)Reserviertheit(Deutsch)reticência(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • erticence
  • reitcence
  • retcience
  • reticance
  • reticcence
  • reticecne
  • reticencce
  • reticenec
  • reticennce
  • reticnece
  • retiecnce
  • retticence
  • rreticence
  • rteicence

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reticence - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

erticence2reitcence2retcience2reticance1reticcence1reticecne2reticencce1reticenec2
Edit distance from "reticence"

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 "reticence"?
"reticence" is spelled R-E-T-I-C-E-N-C-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛtɪs(ə)ns/.
What does "reticence" mean?
As a noun, "reticence" means: Avoidance of saying or reluctance to say too much; discretion, tight-lippedness; (countable) an instance of acting in this manner.
What words are commonly confused with "reticence"?
"reticence" is commonly confused with "reticent", "residence". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reticence"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reticence" is /ˈɹɛtɪs(ə)ns/. 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 "reticence"?
The noun is borrowed from Middle French réticence (“act of keeping silent, silence; reserve; aposiopesis”) (modern French réticence (“tight-lippedness, reticence”)), or derived from its etymon Latin reticentia (“act of keeping silent, silence; apo... 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 "reticence", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

reversion#47,305scurrying#47,323seafaring#47,324Shaquille#47,329

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

Rittenhouse14 variantspropylene14 variantsNewington14 variantsNederland14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list