Which to use
“investigate” is a verb and “investigative” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,243
- “investigate” frequency rank
- #11,560
- “investigative” frequency rank
- 15803
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | investigate | investigative |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To inquire into or study in order to ascertain facts or information. | Of or pertaining to investigation or an investigation. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set investigate and investigative apart are highlighted. They share 11 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
investigate and investigative form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 2 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15803, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
investigate is recorded at frequency rank #4,243, classified as averb, pronounced /ɪnˈvɛs.tə.ɡeɪt/. investigative is at rank #11,560, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɪnˈvɛstɪɡətɪv/.
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 15803, this pair ranks #461,692 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "investigate" and "investigative" be used interchangeably?
Remembering investigate vs investigative
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “investigate”; for an adjective, it's “investigative”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “investigate” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable