# addition vs additive

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### addition
*noun · IPA /əˈdɪʃ.ən/ · frequency rank #1,037*
The act of adding anything.

### additive
*adjective · IPA /ˈæd.ɪ.tɪv/ · frequency rank #18,746*
Pertaining to addition; that can be, or has been, added.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/addition-vs-additive