Recover and Re-cover Are Different Words
To recover is to get better or to get something back. To re-cover, with a hyphen, is to cover something again, and the hyphen is doing real work.
To recover is to return to health, or to get something back. Write it with a hyphen and it becomes a different verb: to *re-cover* a chair is to put new fabric on it. The hyphen is the only thing keeping the two apart, which is why style guides insist on it.
- To return to health. *She recovered quickly.*
- To get something back. *Recover the costs.*
- To regain control. *He recovered his balance.*
- Re-cover — to cover again. *Re-cover the sofa.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Verb | recover | Recover fully. |
| Past | recovered | Fully recovered. |
| Noun | recovery | A slow recovery. |
| Adjective | recoverable | Recoverable costs. |
| Different word | re-cover | Re-cover the roof. |
How it is used in a sentence
- He is recovering at home.Health.
- The company recovered its losses.Finance.
- We had the chairs re-covered.Upholstery, with a hyphen.
Hyphens that change meaning
- Recover / re-cover — get better, or cover again
- Resign / re-sign — quit, or sign again
- Recreation / re-creation — leisure, or making again
- Reform / re-form — improve, or form again
- Release / re-lease — set free, or lease again
From Anglo-French *recoverer*, from Latin *recuperare*, to get back — the same root as *recuperate*, which English borrowed separately and kept for health alone.
Recover or recuperate?
Both mean getting better. Recuperate is used only of health; recover also covers objects, money and composure.
Why does the hyphen matter?
Because re-cover and recover are pronounced differently and mean different things. Without it, a sentence about re-covering furniture reads oddly.