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  1. They recounted to the other what had happened to them.

  2. They recounted to each other what had happened to them.

  3. They recounted each other what had happened to them.

Which sentence is more correct?

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It depends in part on how many people are involved. If there are only two, you may use any of these:

a) They recounted to each other what had happened to them.
b) Each recounted to the other what had happened to him†
c) They recounted, each to the other, what had happened to them.

If there are three or more people involved, other becomes others in b) and c), but not in a).

Note that recount does not take an indirect object in Modern and Post-Modern Englishes: you must include a to to designate the hearer.

† If each is your subject, formal correctness calls for a singular pronoun, him, in subsequent references. However, contemporary usage prefers them unless it is established that all the people involved are male.

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  • Although this NGram suggests recount to each other is still the dominant form, I think I'd be more likely to use recount to one another (which according to that chart is still gaining traction, even though it's not yet as common as the each other form).
    – FumbleFingers
    May 19, 2016 at 14:51
  • @FumbleFingers Well, if it comes to that, I wouldn't use recounted at all, but told--and I'd be 50/50 on each other/one another.
    – StoneyB on hiatus
    May 19, 2016 at 16:19
  • When posting that first comment I was going to also make the point that recount sounds a bit formal/dated to me in such contexts. (But there wasn't enough room in the comment to include this chart to support me there! :)
    – FumbleFingers
    May 19, 2016 at 17:11

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