Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

repent

/ɹɪˈpɛnt/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 3.35 in modern English

Syllables
re-pent
IPA
/ɹɪˈpɛnt/
8
Scrabble Score
6
Letters
2
Syllables
5
Unique Chars

Meaning

verb

To feel pain, sorrow, or regret for what one has done or omitted to do; the cause for repenting may be indicated with "of".

Intransitive verb

verb

To be sorry for sin as morally evil, and to seek forgiveness; to cease to practice sin and to love.

Intransitive verb

verb

To feel pain on account of; to remember with sorrow.

Transitive verb

verb

To be sorry for, to regret.

Transitive verb

verb

To cause to have sorrow or regret.

Archaic; Transitive verb

verb

To cause (oneself) to feel pain or regret.

Obsolete

verb

To change one's mind.

Archaic; Intransitive verb

adj

Creeping along the ground.

Example Sentences

Etymology

From Middle English repenten, from Old French repentir, from Vulgar Latin *repaenitīre, from Late Latin paenitīre, from Classical Latin paenitēre. Compare Modern French repentir.

Origin

Word Breakdown

  • Root: *peh₁-, repenten, repentir, *repaenitīre, paenitīre, paeniteo

Usage

Inflected Forms

Derived Forms

Phrases

Frequently Paired Words

Synonyms

Rhymes With

Questions

How do you pronounce repent?
The recorded pronunciation is /ɹɪˈpɛnt/.
What does repent mean?
To feel pain, sorrow, or regret for what one has done or omitted to do; the cause for repenting may be indicated with "of".
Where does repent come from?
It is traced to Middle English.

How to pronounce repent

  1. Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “repent”.
  2. Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ɹɪˈpɛnt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
  3. Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “repent”.
  4. Repeat and practice — Say “repent” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.