acquisitive

/əˈkwɪzətɪv/

//əˈkwɪzətɪv// adj

"acquisitive" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“acquisitive” is uncommon English (frequency #77,380 among 3,931 “A” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#77,380
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Acquired.

Corpus desk

Index EN-acquisitive · acquisitive · English

acquisitive · rank #77,380 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #77,380
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-6 6 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Ackley

Nearest frequency peer: Ackley (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Long-tail ranks near “acquisitive”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “acquisitive” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for acquisitive
PropertyValue
Headwordacquisitive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈkwɪzətɪv/
Letters11
Frequency rank#77,380
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “acquisitive” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).acquisitivefalls in this rarity band:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Rare peers in the same band: “Ackley” (#77,379), “adamantium” (#77,381), “adoptable” (#77,382). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “acquisitive” is #77,380. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

acquisitive is uncommon English at frequency #77,380 among 3,931 “A” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /əˈkwɪzətɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for acquisitive in our index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From an alteration of Latin acquisītus (“acquired, gained”), or possibly from acquisite + -ive. The correct English form is acquisitive, spelled A-C-Q-U-I-S-I-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Acquired.
  2. 2
    Able or disposed to make acquisitions; acquiring, greedy.
  3. 3
    Dispositioned toward acquiring and retaining information.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how acquisitive appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. He is an acquisitive person.
  2. She has an acquisitive nature.

Etymology

From an alteration of Latin acquisītus (“acquired, gained”), or possibly from acquisite + -ive.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "acquisitive"?
"acquisitive" is spelled A-C-Q-U-I-S-I-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈkwɪzətɪv/.
What does "acquisitive" mean?
As an adjective, "acquisitive" means: Acquired.
How do you pronounce "acquisitive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "acquisitive" is /əˈkwɪzətɪv/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "acquisitive"?
From an alteration of Latin acquisītus (“acquired, gained”), or possibly from acquisite + -ive. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "acquisitive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list