defensiv

[defɛnˈziːf]

/[defɛnˈziːf]/ adj

The verdict

“defensiv” has 12 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #22,675. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,675
frequency rank, German
2,764
“D” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - so, dass ein Schutz vor einem Angriff erreicht wird; verteidigend

Corpus desk

Index DE-defensiv · defensiv · German

defensiv · rank #22,675 · 12 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,675
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,764
  • PHOTO-FINISH Dani

Nearest frequency peer: Dani (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “defensiv”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “defensiv” sits against the nearest ranked German headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

defensiv vs Defensive
78% similar
defensiv vs Defensiven
70% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for defensiv
PropertyValue
Headworddefensiv
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[defɛnˈziːf]
Letters8
Frequency rank#22,675
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Wo “defensiv” in der deutschen Häufigkeit sitzt

Die Häufigkeit läuft von den wenigen Alltagswörtern (links) bis zur langen, seltenen Schwanzseite (rechts).defensivliegt hier:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. In derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite liegen „Dani“ (#22,674), „Deggendorf“ (#22,676), „dekoriert“ (#22,677). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around defensiv (IPA [defɛnˈziːf]), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #22,675 among 2,764 “D” headwords. Dominant gloss: "so, dass ein Schutz vor einem Angriff erreicht wird; verteidigend".

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for defensiv, with forms such as "ddefensiv", "deefnsiv", and "defenisv". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "Defensive", "Defensiven", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry carries no recorded etymology, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is defensiv, spelled D-E-F-E-N-S-I-V.

Definition

  1. 1
    so, dass ein Schutz vor einem Angriff erreicht wird; verteidigend

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how defensiv appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. „Der Deutsche Hockey-Bund hat das vom Weltverband eingeführte System mit nur fünf Akteuren wieder abgeschafft. Statt wie erhofft attraktiver seien die Spiele defensiver geworden, sagte DHB-Sportdirektor Heino Knuf im DLF.“

Antonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddefensiv
  • deefnsiv
  • defenisv
  • defennsiv
  • defensivv
  • defenssiv
  • defensvi
  • defesniv
  • deffensiv
  • defnesiv
  • dfeensiv
  • edfensiv

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of defensiv - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ddefensiv1deefnsiv2defenisv2defennsiv1defensivv1defenssiv1defensvi2defesniv2
Edit distance from "defensiv"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "defensiv"?
"defensiv" is spelled D-E-F-E-N-S-I-V. The IPA pronunciation is [defɛnˈziːf].
What does "defensiv" mean?
As an adjective, "defensiv" means: so, dass ein Schutz vor einem Angriff erreicht wird; verteidigend
What words are commonly confused with "defensiv"?
"defensiv" is commonly confused with "Defensive", "Defensiven". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "defensiv"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "defensiv" is [defɛnˈziːf]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "defensiv" come from?
"defensiv" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "defensiv", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "defensiv". Here's where to go from here.

  • "defensiv" maps to 2 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "Defensive". View pair
  • 12 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #22,675 among German headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more German words in the "D" letter cohort. D–Z browse

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list