passives

[ˈpasiːvəs]

/[ˈpasiːvəs]/ adj

The verdict

“passives” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #37,125 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#37,125
frequency rank, German
8
letters
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs passiv

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

passives vs Passiv
63% similar
passives vs Passes
63% similar
passives vs Passive
75% similar

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

Key facts for passives
PropertyValue
Headwordpassives
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈpasiːvəs]
Letters8
Frequency rank#37,125
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “passives” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). passives lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for passives is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈpasiːvəs]. Corpus data places it at rank #37,125 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for passives, with forms such as "apssives", "pasisves", and "pasives". 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, "Passiv", "Passes", "Passive", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is passives, spelled P-A-S-S-I-V-E-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs passiv
  2. 2
    Akkusativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs passiv
  3. 3
    Nominativ Singular Neutrum der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs passiv
  4. 4
    Akkusativ Singular Neutrum der gemischten Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs passiv

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: apssives,pasisves,pasives,passievs,passivess,passivse,passivves,passvies,paßives,ppassives,psasives

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of passives - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

apssives2pasisves2pasives1passievs2passivess1passivse2passivves1passvies2
Edit distance from "passives"

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 "passives"?
"passives" is spelled P-A-S-S-I-V-E-S. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈpasiːvəs].
What does "passives" mean?
As an adjective, "passives" means: Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs passiv
What words are commonly confused with "passives"?
"passives" is commonly confused with "Passiv", "Passes", "Passive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "passives"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "passives" is [ˈpasiːvəs]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "passives" come from?
"passives" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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.

Using “passives”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is P-A-S-S-I-V-E-S - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ˈpasiːvəs] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Passiv” - see the side-by-side comparison. passives vs Passiv
  • 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list