repeat and repent differ by a single letter, buried far enough into the word to be easy to miss. repeat means “to say, state, or perform again”. repent means “turn away from sin or do penitence”. repeat is the more common of the two in everyday English.
/ɹɪˈpit/
1.v.to say, state, or perform again
“She kept reiterating her request”
2.v.make or do or perform again
“He could never replicate his brilliant performance of the magic trick”
3.v.happen or occur again
“This is a recurring story”
/ɹɪˈpɛnt/
1.v.turn away from sin or do penitence
2.v.feel remorse for; feel sorry for; be contrite about
| repeat | repent | |
|---|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /ɹɪˈpit/ | /ɹɪˈpɛnt/ |
| Said | ri-PEET | ri-PENT |
| Syllables | 2 | 2 |
| Letters | 6 | 6 |
| Parts of speech | verb, noun | verb |
| Senses | 7 | 2 |
| How common | Common | Familiar |
| Synonyms | reiterate, ingeminate, iterate | atone |
Full entry for repeat · Full entry for repent · More comparisons