reticent

/ˈɹɛtɪsənt/

//ˈɹɛtɪsənt// adj

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

"reticent" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“reticent” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #46,147. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#46,147
frequency rank, English
3,094
“R” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unwilling to communicate; keeping one's thoughts and opinions to oneself; reserved or restrained.

Corpus desk

Index EN-reticent · reticent · English

reticent · rank #46,147 · 12 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #46,147
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,094
  • PHOTO-FINISH resuscitate

Nearest frequency peer: resuscitate (-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 “reticent”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “reticent” 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).

reticent vs recent
75% similar
reticent vs resident
75% similar
reticent vs regiment
75% similar

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

Key facts for reticent
PropertyValue
Headwordreticent
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈɹɛtɪsənt/
Letters8
Frequency rank#46,147
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “reticent”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).reticentlands 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 “resuscitate” (#46,146), “reverie” (#46,148), “revisionism” (#46,149). Among 3,094 “R” headwords, “reticent” is #46,147. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around reticent (IPA /ˈɹɛtɪsənt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #46,147 among 3,094 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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

  1. 1
    Unwilling to communicate; keeping one's thoughts and opinions to oneself; reserved or restrained.
  2. 2
    Hesitant or not wanting to take some action; reluctant (usually followed by a verb in the infinitive).

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. They are slow and reticent, and are like a dull good horse which lets every nag pass him, but with whip and spur will run down every racer in the field.
  2. But he was a reticent as well as an eccentric man; and he made no mention of a certain evening when he warmed his hands at the gatehouse fire, and looked steadily down upon a certain heap of torn and miry clothes upon the floor.

Etymology

Latin reticēns, present participle of reticeō (“to keep silence”).

Synonyms

reservedrestrainedtight-lippedclosemouthedreluctantunwillingdisinclinedloath

This word in other languages

reticente(Español)réticent(Français)still(Deutsch)reticente(Português)

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.

erticent2reitcent2retcient2reticcent1reticennt1reticentt1reticetn2reticnet2
Edit distance from "reticent"

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"?
"reticent" is spelled R-E-T-I-C-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɹɛtɪsənt/.
What does "reticent" mean?
As an adjective, "reticent" means: Unwilling to communicate; keeping one's thoughts and opinions to oneself; reserved or restrained.
What words are commonly confused with "reticent"?
"reticent" is commonly confused with "recent", "resident", "regiment". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "reticent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "reticent" is /ˈɹɛtɪsənt/. 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 "reticent"?
Latin reticēns, present participle of reticeō (“to keep silence”). 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 "reticent", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

rayleigh#46,133sectoral#46,167slippage#46,180slowness#46,181

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

overwork12 variantsmnemonic12 variantsunderhill12 variantsvanquish12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list