réticent

\ʁe.ti.sɑ̃\

/\ʁe.ti.sɑ̃\/ adj

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

The verdict

“réticent” is a moderately-common French word, ranked #29,135 in French word frequency and used as an adjective.

#29,135
frequency rank, French
8
letters
13
tracked misspellings
12
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Qui fait preuve de réticence, qui tait volontairement ce qu’il pourrait ou devrait dire.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

réticent vs revient
63% similar
réticent vs retient
75% similar
réticent vs retiens
63% similar

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

Key facts for réticent
PropertyValue
Headwordréticent
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ʁe.ti.sɑ̃\
Letters8
Frequency rank#29,135
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs12
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “réticent” sits in French frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). réticent lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for réticent is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \ʁe.ti.sɑ̃\. Corpus data places it at rank #29,135 in overall French word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for réticent, with forms such as "reticent", "rréticent", and "rtéicent". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 12 confusable-pair relationships, "revient", "retient", "retiens", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct French form is réticent, spelled R-É-T-I-C-E-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui fait preuve de réticence, qui tait volontairement ce qu’il pourrait ou devrait dire.
  2. 2
    Qui dénote l’omission volontaire de ce qui pourrait ou devrait être dit.
  3. 3
    Qui contient des omissions volontaires.
  4. 4
    Qui fait preuve de réserve et de désapprobation, qui manque de bonne volonté (être réticent à, envers, à l’égard de quelqu'un ou quelque chose ou à faire quelque chose).
  5. 5
    Qualifie un regex réticent.

This word in other languages

reluctant(English)reacio(Español)widerwillig(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: reticent,rréticent,rtéicent,réitcent,rétcient,réticcent,réticennt,réticentt,réticetn,réticnet,rétiecnt,rétticent,érticent

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of réticent - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

reticent1rréticent1rtéicent2réitcent2rétcient2réticcent1réticennt1réticentt1
Edit distance from "réticent"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "réticent"?
"réticent" is spelled R-É-T-I-C-E-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is \ʁe.ti.sɑ̃\.
What does "réticent" mean?
As an adjective, "réticent" means: Qui fait preuve de réticence, qui tait volontairement ce qu’il pourrait ou devrait dire.
What words are commonly confused with "réticent"?
"réticent" is commonly confused with "revient", "retient", "retiens". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "réticent"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "réticent" is \ʁe.ti.sɑ̃\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "réticent" come from?
"réticent" is a French word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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.

Using “réticent”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct French spelling is R-É-T-I-C-E-N-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ʁe.ti.sɑ̃\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “revient” - see the side-by-side comparison. réticent vs revient
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list