addictive

/əˈdɪktɪv/

//əˈdɪktɪv// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"addictive" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“addictive” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,722. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,722
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Causing or tending to cause addiction; habit-forming.

Corpus desk

Index EN-addictive · addictive · English

addictive · rank #12,722 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,722
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH adaptive

Nearest frequency peer: adaptive (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “addictive”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “addictive” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

addictive vs additive
89% similar
addictive vs adjective
78% similar
addictive vs addiction
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for addictive
PropertyValue
Headwordaddictive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈdɪktɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#12,722
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “addictive”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).addictivelands here:

#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. Same rarity band neighbours include “adaptive” (#12,721), “affinity” (#12,723), “Yuri” (#12,720). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “addictive” is #12,722. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around addictive (IPA /əˈdɪktɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,722 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for addictive, with forms such as "addcitive", "addicctive", and "addicitve". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "additive", "adjective", "addiction", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested 1914. Addiction in modern sense is first attested 1906, in reference to opium. There is an isolated instance from 1779, with reference to tobacco. The correct English form is addictive, spelled A-D-D-I-C-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Causing or tending to cause addiction; habit-forming.
  2. 2
    Enjoyable, so that one comes back for more.
  3. 3
    Characterized by or susceptible to addiction.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. These are addictive drugs.
  2. There are loads of mazes, it's all really good fun and utterly addictive […]

Etymology

First attested 1914. Addiction in modern sense is first attested 1906, in reference to opium. There is an isolated instance from 1779, with reference to tobacco.

Synonyms

habit-formingmoreish

Antonyms

nonaddictive

This word in other languages

adictivo(Español)addictif(Français)verführerisch(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • addcitive
  • addicctive
  • addicitve
  • addictiev
  • addictivve
  • addicttive
  • addictvie
  • additcive
  • adictive
  • adidctive
  • dadictive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of addictive - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

addcitive2addicctive1addicitve2addictiev2addictivve1addicttive1addictvie2additcive2
Edit distance from "addictive"

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 "addictive"?
"addictive" is spelled A-D-D-I-C-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈdɪktɪv/.
What does "addictive" mean?
As an adjective, "addictive" means: Causing or tending to cause addiction; habit-forming.
What words are commonly confused with "addictive"?
"addictive" is commonly confused with "additive", "adjective", "addiction". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "addictive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "addictive" is /əˈdɪktɪv/. 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 "addictive"?
First attested 1914. Addiction in modern sense is first attested 1906, in reference to opium. There is an isolated instance from 1779, with reference to tobacco. 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 "addictive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

apartheid#12,725arthritis#12,727violently#12,714Brunswick#12,735

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

adaptive11 variantswrecked11 variantsValencia11 variantsCarnegie11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list