activist
/ˈæk.tɪ.vɪst/
"activist" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“activist” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #5,753 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #5,753
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 3
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - One who is politically active in the role of a citizen; especially, one who campaigns for change.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | activist |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈæk.tɪ.vɪst/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #5,753 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 3 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “activist” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for activist is 8 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈæk.tɪ.vɪst/. Corpus data places it at rank #5,753 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for activist, with forms such as "acctivist", "acitvist", and "actiivst". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "activity", "archivist", "activism", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From active + -ist. The correct English form is activist, spelled A-C-T-I-V-I-S-T.
Definition
- 1One who is politically active in the role of a citizen; especially, one who campaigns for change.
- 2One who is conspicuously active in carrying out any occupational or professional functions.
Etymology
From active + -ist.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: acctivist,acitvist,actiivst,activisst,activistt,activits,activsit,activvist,acttivist,actviist,atcivist,cativist
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of activist - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "activist"?
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Using “activist”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is A-C-T-I-V-I-S-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈæk.tɪ.vɪst/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “activity” - see the side-by-side comparison. activist vs activity
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.