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PlainSpell

revenge

re·venge/ɹəˈvɛnd͡ʒ/noun, verb

revenge is spelled R-E-V-E-N-G-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (re·venge). It appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, revenge means “Any form of personal, retaliatory action against an individual, institution, or group for some alleged or perceived harm or injustice” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of revenge is revenges.

How many letters and syllables are in revenge?

Letters7: R-E-V-E-N-G-E
Syllables2: re·venge
In writing19 times per million words; the 4,444th most frequent word form
Wrong spellings searchednone measured in search

Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).

How common is revenge?

Revenge appears 19 times per million words in written English, the 4,444th 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 revenge?

  • /ɹəˈvɛnd͡ʒ/
  • /ɹɪˈvɛnd͡ʒ/
  • /ɹiˈvɛnd͡ʒ/

Revenge has 2 syllables, split re·venge in writing.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-revenge.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).

Forms of revenge

  • revenges plural, present, singular, he/she/it
  • revenging participle, present
  • revenged participle, past

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

What does revenge mean?

The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).

noun

  1. 1

    Any form of personal, retaliatory action against an individual, institution, or group for some alleged or perceived harm or injustice.

    Indifference is the sweetest revenge.

  2. 2

    A win by a previous loser.

verb

  1. 1

    To take revenge for (a particular harmful action) or on behalf of (its victim); to avenge.

    Arsenal revenged their loss to Manchester United last time with a 5–0 drubbing this time.

  2. 2

    To take one's revenge (on or upon someone).

  3. 3

    archaicTo take vengeance; to revenge itself.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

Revenge in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese

LanguageWords
Frenchvengeance, revanche (retaliatory action), se venger (de quelqu'un) (to take one's revenge on someone), venger (to take revenge for an action)
GermanRache (retaliatory action), rächen (to take revenge for an action)
Portuguesevingança (retaliatory action), vingar-se (to take revenge for an action), vingar (to take revenge on an actor)
Spanishvenganza (retaliatory action)

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 revenge come from?

From Middle French revenge, a derivation from revenger, from Old French revengier (possibly influenced by Old Occitan revènge (“revenge, comeback”), from Old Occitan revenir (“to come back”)), a variant of Middle French revancher (whence deverbal French revanche), from Old French revenchier. The variants Old French vengier (whence French venger) and Old French venchier are both descended from Latin vindicō, with stress-conditioned different parallel development in the inflectional forms. Doublet of revanche. Compare avenge and vengeance.

Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).

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