# operating vs operative

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### operating
*adjective · IPA /ˈɑpəɹeɪtɪŋ/ · frequency rank #1,833*
In operation; that operates.

### operative
*adjective · IPA /ˈɒpəɹətɪv/ · frequency rank #8,836*
Effectual or important.

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