# reflective vs reflexive

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### reflective
*adjective · IPA /ɹɪˈflɛktɪv/ · frequency rank #13,407*
That reflects, or redirects back to the source.

### reflexive
*adjective · IPA /ɹɪˈflɛksɪv/ · frequency rank #35,480*
Referring back to the subject, or having an object equal to the subject.

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