How to Use Recurring vs. Reoccurring (Word Choice, Usage)

First published on April 13, 2024 by Dalia Y.|Last revised on October 28, 2025

Did you have a reocurring or a reccurring dream? If the difference between these two words is befuddling, this post is for you. How to use recurring vs. reoccurring Recurring and reoccurring are...

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How to Use Recurring vs. Reoccurring (Word Choice, Usage)

Recurring vs. reoccurring: what's the difference?

Did you have a reocurring or a reccurring dream? If the difference between these two words is befuddling, this post is for you.

Recurring and reoccurring are present participle forms of the verbs recur and reoccur. The two words are synonyms and are close in meaning.

👍🏼Usage Note

It was a reoccurring scenario—one we had hoped to avoid.

They repaired the dam to prevent further damage from reoccurring.

The difference is that when something is recurring, it happens regularly, or at regular intervals.

Something reoccurring, on the other hand, may have happened one or more times in the past or present, but it does not imply the same persistence or frequency. In practice, they can be used interchangeably.

Definitions and usage

Reoccurring

May have happened one or more times in the past or present, but does not imply the same persistence or frequency as recurring.

• The defense team took measures to prevent such incidences from reoccurring.

• We would have arrived on time if not for our reoccurring car problems.

• The medicine should prevent the infection from reoccurring.

Recurring

Happens regularly, or at regular intervals.

• The researchers identified a recurring pattern.

• The problem soon became a recurring issue for him.

• She has a recurring dream about her childhood.

Pro tip! When distinguishing between recurring vs. reoccurring, associate recurring with "regular" events (it happens regularly), and remember that reoccurring is less common and usually follows prepositions (like "preventing the error from reoccurring").

Synonyms & nearby words

Synonyms for recurring and reoccurring

persist reappear iterate recrudesce reiterate repeat return revert

Word origins

Late 14c., recuren, "to recover from illness or suffering" (a sense now obsolete); mid-15c., "to return" (to or into a place), from Latin recurrere "to return, run back, hasten back," figuratively "revert, recur".

—Online Etymology Dictionary

Read about other commonly confused words

Commonly Confused Words	More Confusions
Commonly misused words	UK English vs. US English
former vs. latter	burned or burnt?
bear with vs. bare with	color or colour?
breathe or breath	favorite vs. favourite
compliment vs. complement	smelled or smelt?
effect vs. affect	spelled or spelt?
elude or allude	favor vs. favour
it's or its	analyze or analyse?

Worksheet

FAQs

Are recurring and reoccurring the same?

They're similar in meaning and can be interchangeable, though there is a subtle difference (explained in further detail above). Recurring implies regular occurrence and reoccurring less so, though both imply repetition of some kind.

What's the main difference in meaning?

Recurring suggests something happens regularly or at regular intervals. Something that reoccurs happens occasionally, or from time to time, so is less frequent (allegedly).

Can you use recurring and reoccurring interchangeably?

More or less, you can. The difference is one of degree, though if you know the difference in meaning (perhaps by reading this post) then why not use the appropriate word in the context you're considering!

What's a common spelling mistake?

A common mistake is the double-c's in "reccurring". The correct spelling is recurring; one "c".

How are recurring & reoccurring used in sentences?

They're either present participle verbs or adjectives. "A recurring headache" describes a noun (i.e., adjective), whereas "preventing the error from reoccurring" follows a preposition.

Sources

Oxford Learner's Dictionary on "recurring" and "reoccurring". Accessed 13 April, 2024. Harper, Douglas. "Etymology of recur." Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/recurring. Accessed 13 April 2024.