Which to use
“infinite” is an adjective and “infinitive” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #5,507
- “infinite” frequency rank
- #48,820
- “infinitive” frequency rank
- 54327
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | infinite | infinitive |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Indefinably large, countlessly great; immense. | The infinitive mood or mode (a grammatical mood). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set infinite and infinitive apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: infinite is /ˈɪnfᵻnɪt/ while infinitive is /ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪv/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54327, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
infinite is recorded at frequency rank #5,507, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈɪnfᵻnɪt/. infinitive is at rank #48,820, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɪnˈfɪnɪtɪv/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 54327, this pair ranks #141,913 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of infinite vs infinitive
Shared letters: efint. Private to "infinite": -. Private to "infinitive": v.
"infinite" · 8 letters · shape VCCVCVCV · "infinitive" · 10 letters · shape VCCVCVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- infinite ← ifninite · inffinite · infiinte · infiniet · infinitte · infinnite · infintie · infniite
- infinitive ← ifninitive · inffinitive · infiintive · infiniitve · infinitiev · infinitivve · infinittive · infinitvie
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "infinite" and "infinitive" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "infinite" or "infinitive"?
Remembering infinite vs infinitive
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “infinite”; for a noun, it's “infinitive”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “infinite” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable