# initiate vs initiative

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### initiate
*verb · IPA /ɪˈnɪʃ.i.eɪt/ · frequency rank #10,558*
To begin; to start.

### initiative
*adjective · IPA /ɪˈnɪʃ.ə.tɪv/ · frequency rank #3,887*
Serving to initiate.

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