adoptive

/əˈdɒptɪv/

//əˈdɒptɪv// adj

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

"adoptive" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“adoptive” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #21,716. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#21,716
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

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

Corpus desk

Index EN-adoptive · adoptive · English

adoptive · rank #21,716 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #21,716
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH accomplice

Nearest frequency peer: accomplice (-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 “adoptive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “adoptive” 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).

adoptive vs adoption
75% similar
adoptive vs adaptive
88% similar
adoptive vs additive
75% similar

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

Key facts for adoptive
PropertyValue
Headwordadoptive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əˈdɒptɪv/
Letters8
Frequency rank#21,716
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “adoptive”

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “accomplice” (#21,715), “accompaniment” (#21,714), “alphabetical” (#21,718). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “adoptive” is #21,716. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around adoptive (IPA /əˈdɒptɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #21,716 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for adoptive, with forms such as "addoptive", "adopitve", and "adopptive". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "adoption", "adaptive", "additive", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From adopt + -ive. The correct English form is adoptive, spelled A-D-O-P-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Related through adoption.
  2. 2
    Pertaining to adoption.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. My adoptive parents recently got to know my biological parents.

Etymology

From adopt + -ive.

Antonyms

biologicalblood

This word in other languages

adoptivo(Español)adoptif(Français)adoptiv(Deutsch)adotivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • addoptive
  • adopitve
  • adopptive
  • adoptiev
  • adoptivve
  • adopttive
  • adoptvie
  • adotpive
  • adpotive
  • aodptive
  • daoptive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of adoptive - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

addoptive1adopitve2adopptive1adoptiev2adoptivve1adopttive1adoptvie2adotpive2
Edit distance from "adoptive"

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 "adoptive"?
"adoptive" is spelled A-D-O-P-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əˈdɒptɪv/.
What does "adoptive" mean?
As an adjective, "adoptive" means: Related through adoption.
What words are commonly confused with "adoptive"?
"adoptive" is commonly confused with "adoption", "adaptive", "additive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "adoptive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "adoptive" is /əˈdɒptɪv/. 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 "adoptive"?
From adopt + -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 "adoptive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

abrasive#21,713auspices#21,727warcraft#21,704beheaded#21,730

Similar misspelling depth

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

virtuous11 variantstrimming11 variantssummarize11 variantsspamming11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list