# possession vs possessive

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### possession
*noun · IPA /pəˈzɛʃn̩/ · frequency rank #3,777*
A control or occupancy of something for which one does not necessarily have private property rights.

### possessive
*adjective · IPA /pəˈzɛs.ɪv/ · frequency rank #23,364*
Of or pertaining to ownership or possession.

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