reticent
/ˈɹɛtɪsənt/
"reticent" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“reticent” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #46,147 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #46,147
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Unwilling to communicate; keeping one's thoughts and opinions to oneself; reserved or restrained.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | reticent |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈɹɛtɪsənt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #46,147 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “reticent” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for reticent is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛtɪsənt/. Corpus data places it at rank #46,147 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for reticent, with forms such as "erticent", "reitcent", and "retcient". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "recent", "resident", "regiment", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: Latin reticēns, present participle of reticeō (“to keep silence”). The correct English form is reticent, spelled R-E-T-I-C-E-N-T.
Definition
- 1Unwilling to communicate; keeping one's thoughts and opinions to oneself; reserved or restrained.
- 2Hesitant or not wanting to take some action; reluctant (usually followed by a verb in the infinitive).
Etymology
Latin reticēns, present participle of reticeō (“to keep silence”).
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: erticent,reitcent,retcient,reticcent,reticennt,reticentt,reticetn,reticnet,retiecnt,retticent,rreticent,rteicent
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of reticent - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "reticent"?
What does "reticent" mean?
What words are commonly confused with "reticent"?
How do you pronounce "reticent"?
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Using “reticent”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-T-I-C-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹɛtɪsənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “recent” - see the side-by-side comparison. reticent vs recent
- 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.