revenant
/ˈɹɛvənənt/
"revenant" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“revenant” is uncommon English (frequency #55,064 among 21,470 “R” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #55,064
- frequency rank, English
- 21,470
- “R” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Someone who returns from a long absence.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | revenant |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈɹɛvənənt/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #55,064 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “revenant” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
revenant is uncommon English at frequency #55,064 among 21,470 “R” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈɹɛvənənt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for revenant, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.
Etymologically, the entry records: 19th century. From French revenant, the present participle of revenir (“to return”). Compare revenue. The correct English form is revenant, spelled R-E-V-E-N-A-N-T.
Definition
- 1Someone who returns from a long absence.
- 2A person or thing reborn.
- 3A supernatural being that returns from the dead; a zombie or ghost.
Etymology
19th century. From French revenant, the present participle of revenir (“to return”). Compare revenue.
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); 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
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Using “revenant”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-V-E-N-A-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹɛvənənt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Other uncommon English words near this rank
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.