performativ

[pɛʁfɔʁmaˈtiːf]

/[pɛʁfɔʁmaˈtiːf]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“performativ” is uncommon German (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency German
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - eine Sprechhandlung benennend, spezifizierend

Key facts for performativ
PropertyValue
Headwordperformativ
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[pɛʁfɔʁmaˈtiːf]
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “performativ” sits in German frequency

performativ falls outside the top-100,000 ranked German words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

performativ is uncommon German outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed [pɛʁfɔʁmaˈtiːf]. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "eine Sprechhandlung benennend, spezifizierend".

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for performativ, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is easiest to reason about phoneme by phoneme, absent a documented history. The correct German form is performativ, spelled P-E-R-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-V.

Definition

  1. 1
    eine Sprechhandlung benennend, spezifizierend

This word in other languages

performative(English)

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "performativ"?
"performativ" is spelled P-E-R-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-V. The IPA pronunciation is [pɛʁfɔʁmaˈtiːf].
What does "performativ" mean?
As an adjective, "performativ" means: eine Sprechhandlung benennend, spezifizierend
How do you pronounce "performativ"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "performativ" is [pɛʁfɔʁmaˈtiːf]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "performativ" come from?
"performativ" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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 “performativ”

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

  • The one correct German spelling is P-E-R-F-O-R-M-A-T-I-V - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [pɛʁfɔʁmaˈtiːf] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • 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