The words recur and reoccur look and sound similar, so it is easy to mix them up. They also mean almost the same thing, which makes things even more confusing!
If you’re unsure about when to use recurring vs reoccurring, we have a quick explanation that should help clear things up. You can keep reading for some example sentences as well.
What is the difference between recur and reoccur?
Let’s start with the verbs at the root of these easily confused words.
The simple difference between the definitions of recur and reoccur is this:
RECUR = happen or occur again, especially repeatedly or at regular intervals REOCCUR = happen or occur again (not necessarily repeatedly)
Now, this is just a general rule and you may find each word used in the other context but if you want to be safe, use recur for a repeating occurrence and reoccur for something that happens again as a one-off or with no suggestion that it will continue to happen.
Related to this topic, and equally as confusing, is the question of continuous vs continual.
Examples of recur and reoccur
Here are some examples of these verbs in context:
To talk about something happening repeatedly: recur
- The doctor told me that the rash is likely to recur every summer.
- How many times should we expect this to recur each year?
To talk about something happening again on a single occasion: reoccur
- If the problem reoccurs, please call our customer service team.
- I hope this rain won’t cause the flooding to reoccur.
Recurring vs reoccurring
So, what about these words in the gerund (-ing) form? What is the difference between recurring and reoccurring?
As verbs
Used in the gerund form, recurring is much more likely to be used than reoccurring, simply because any continuous tense implies that the action is happening or repeating over a period of time.
- These anomalies have been recurring ever since we hired our new accountant.
- Can you tell me how many of these issues are recurring at least weekly?
The exception is when using the verb in a negative sense, and in a construction that requires the gerund form:
- We must do everything possible to stop this problem from reoccurring.
See also: Stop doing vs stop to do
As adjectives
Similarly, we often find recurring used as an adjective to describe something that keeps happening repeatedly:
- I think I need to see a psychologist about this recurring dream.
- One cause of recurring headaches is a poor diet.
- If you experience recurring technical problems we will be happy to replace your product.
- Whatever business you are in, you should aim to have plenty of recurring revenue.
- I used to have recurring nightmares about losing all my teeth.
So, if you are wondering whether to use recurring or reoccurring in a sentence, the answer is probably the former.
Note that we can use ‘used to‘ to describe something that happened regularly in the past but does not happen anymore, as in the last example in the list above.
Recurrence vs reoccurrence
The same rule applies to the nouns recurrence and reoccurrence, too.
A recurrence is something that happens repeatedly, over and over again:
- I’m troubled by the recurrence of my son’s nightmares.
- The recurrence of bad language will not be tolerated in the workplace.
Whereas a reoccurrence is something that happens again, even just once:
- I hope we won’t see a reoccurrence of last night’s terrible performance.
- Any reoccurrence of that behavior will result in a formal written warning.
You may also want to read: When to use will vs going to
To conclude
It’s understandable that people are often unsure whether to use recurring vs reoccurring. Even for a native English speaker, the difference between them is very subtle.
Just remember to ask yourself: Am I talking about something happening over and over again? If yes, the verb recur is correct. If you are referring to any repeated instance (one or more times, but not regularly), the verb reoccur applies.
In any case, getting these words mixed up is not going to stand out as badly as other commonly confused terms like its and it’s or your and you’re.
If you found this explanation helpful or you have any questions, please leave a comment below to let us know.
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