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 present participle forms of the verbs recur and reoccur. The two words are synonyms and are close in meaning.
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.
“Recurring” / “reoccurring”, used in sentences
| Word | Example Sentences |
|---|---|
| reoccurring |
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 |
The researchers identified a recurring pattern.
The problem soon became a recurring issue for him. She has a recurring dream about her childhood. |
“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”).
Recurring/reoccurring, synonyms
- persist
- reappear
- iterate
- recrudesce
- reiterate
- repeat
- return
- revert
Word origin (of recurring/reoccurring)
|
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“. |
Read about other commonly confused words
Worksheet
The headaches have been ______, coming back every few weeks.
The theme of loss kept ______ throughout the novel, appearing again and again.
A technical issue kept ______ during the presentation, interrupting the speaker multiple times.
The ______ of the same error suggests a deeper problem in the system.
The festival is a ______ event, celebrated every summer since 1970.
FAQs
Are recurring and reoccurring the same?
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What’s the main difference in meaning?
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Can you use recurring and reoccurring interchangeably?
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What’s a common spelling mistake?
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How are recurring & reoccurring used in sentences?
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Sources
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Oxford Learner’s Dictionary on “recurring” and “reoccurring”. Accessed 13 April, 2024. Harper, Douglas. “Etymology of well.” Online Etymology Dictionary, https://www.etymonline.com/word/recurring. Accessed 13 April 2024.
Yash, D. "How to Use Recurring vs. Reoccurring (Word Choice, Usage)." Grammarflex, Sep 15, 2025, https://grammarflex.com/recurring-vs-reoccurring/.
