Master confusing words with ease
Recur vs. Reoccur
Recur
/rɪˈkɜː/Examples:
The symptoms may recur every few weeks.Dreams of flying often recur in her sleep.Family gatherings recur on significant anniversaries.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Reoccur
Examples:
The issue is likely to reoccur if not addressed.Floods in this region tend to reoccur annually.He feared the nightmares would reoccur tonight.
Synonyms:
Antonyms:
Ways to tell them apart:
- Recur often implies a regular or periodic return of an event or pattern, like a cycle.
- Reoccur suggests something happening again but doesn't carry the implication of regularity or pattern.
- One can think of recur as related to recur-rent, suggesting something that returns regularly.
- Think of the re- in reoccur as meaning again, while recur generally means again and again.
- If you want to convey that something will happen periodically, use recur. For something that just happens again, use reoccur.
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