Which to use
“intuition” is a noun and “intuitive” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,146
- “intuition” frequency rank
- #13,543
- “intuitive” frequency rank
- 27689
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | intuition | intuitive |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Immediate cognition without the use of conscious rational processes. | Spontaneous, without requiring conscious thought. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set intuition and intuitive apart are highlighted. They share 7 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: intuition is /ˌɪn.tjuːˈɪʃ.ən/ while intuitive is /ɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27689, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
intuition is recorded at frequency rank #14,146, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˌɪn.tjuːˈɪʃ.ən/. intuitive is at rank #13,543, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈtjuːɪtɪv/.
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 27689, this pair ranks #376,911 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of intuition vs intuitive
Shared letters: intu. Private to "intuition": o. Private to "intuitive": ev.
"intuition" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVVC · "intuitive" · 9 letters · shape VCCVVCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "intuition" and "intuitive" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "intuition" or "intuitive"?
Remembering intuition vs intuitive
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “intuition”; for an adjective, it's “intuitive”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “intuition” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable