negativ
[ˈneːɡatiːf]
The verdict
“negativ” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,271 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #3,271
- frequency rank, German
- 7
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 5
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - ungünstig oder sogar deutlich schlecht
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | negativ |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | [ˈneːɡatiːf] |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #3,271 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 5 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “negativ” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for negativ is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈneːɡatiːf]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,271 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for negativ, with forms such as "engativ", "neagtiv", and "negaitv". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "negative", "negativen", "negatives", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is negativ, spelled N-E-G-A-T-I-V.
Definition
- 1ungünstig oder sogar deutlich schlecht
- 2verneinend, ablehnend, pessimistisch betrachtend
- 3sich unter Null befindend
- 4elektrische Ladung mit mehr Elektronen als Protonen
- 5nach einer Untersuchung nicht festgestellt, nicht vorhanden
- 6von invertierter Helligkeit oder ungekehrten Farbwerten und seitenverkehrt
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: engativ,neagtiv,negaitv,negativv,negattiv,negatvi,neggativ,negtaiv,ngeativ,nnegativ
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of negativ - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.
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 "negativ"?
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Using “negativ”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is N-E-G-A-T-I-V - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈneːɡatiːf] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “negative” - see the side-by-side comparison. negativ vs negative
- Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
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.