Which to use
“reproduction” is a noun and “reproductive” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,810
- “reproduction” frequency rank
- #9,656
- “reproductive” frequency rank
- 19466
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | reproduction | reproductive |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The act of reproducing new individuals biologically. | Of or relating to reproduction. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set reproduction and reproductive apart are highlighted. They share 10 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: reproduction is /ˌɹiːpɹəˈdʌkʃən/ while reproductive is /ˌɹiːpɹəˈdʌktɪv/. 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 19466, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
reproduction is recorded at frequency rank #9,810, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˌɹiːpɹəˈdʌkʃən/. reproductive is at rank #9,656, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˌɹiːpɹəˈdʌktɪv/.
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 19466, this pair ranks #437,982 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of reproduction vs reproductive
Shared letters: cdeioprtu. Private to "reproduction": n. Private to "reproductive": v.
"reproduction" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVVC · "reproductive" · 12 letters · shape CVCCVCVCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- reproduction ← erproduction · reporduction · repproduction · reprdouction · reprodcution · reprodduction · reproducction · reproduciton
- reproductive ← erproductive · reporductive · repproductive · reprdouctive · reprodcutive · reprodductive · reproducctive · reproducitve
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "reproduction" and "reproductive" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "reproduction" or "reproductive"?
Remembering reproduction vs reproductive
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “reproduction”; for an adjective, it's “reproductive”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “reproduction” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable