apprehensive

/ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnsɪv/

//ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnsɪv// adj

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

"apprehensive" is a 12-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“apprehensive” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,721. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,721
frequency rank, English
3,931
“A” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Anticipating something with anxiety, fear, or doubt; reluctant.

Corpus desk

Index EN-apprehensive · apprehensive · English

apprehensive · rank #27,721 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #27,721
  • LEN-MEGA 12 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,931
  • PHOTO-FINISH Arjun

Nearest frequency peer: Arjun (+2 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 “apprehensive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “apprehensive” 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).

apprehensive vs apprehension
83% similar

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

Key facts for apprehensive
PropertyValue
Headwordapprehensive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnsɪv/
Letters12
Frequency rank#27,721
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “apprehensive”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).apprehensivelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Arjun” (#27,723), “amour” (#27,718), “assent” (#27,724). Among 3,931 “A” headwords, “apprehensive” is #27,721. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around apprehensive (IPA /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnsɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #27,721 among 3,931 “A” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for apprehensive, with forms such as "apperhensive", "appreehnsive", and "apprehenisve". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "apprehension", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin apprehensīvus, from apprehensus, perfect passive participle of apprehendō (“to apprehend, understand, learn”) + -īvus (“-ive”). The correct English form is apprehensive, spelled A-P-P-R-E-H-E-N-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Anticipating something with anxiety, fear, or doubt; reluctant.
  2. 2
    Perceptive; quick to learn; capable of understanding using one's intellect.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. This convinc'd me that there was no going on Shore for us in the Night upon that Coaſt, and how to venture on Shore in the Day was another Queſtion too; for to have fallen into the Hands of any of the Savages, had been as bad as to have fallen into the Hands of Lyons and Tygers; at leaſt we were equally apprehenſive of the Danger of it.
  2. But Claggart's was no vulgar form of the passion. Nor, as directed toward Billy Budd, did it partake of that streak of apprehensive jealousy that marred Saul's visage perturbedly brooding on the comely young David. Claggart's envy struck deeper.

Etymology

From Latin apprehensīvus, from apprehensus, perfect passive participle of apprehendō (“to apprehend, understand, learn”) + -īvus (“-ive”).

This word in other languages

inquieto(Español)soucieux(Français)besorgt(Deutsch)apreensivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • apperhensive
  • appreehnsive
  • apprehenisve
  • apprehennsive
  • apprehensiev
  • apprehensivve
  • apprehenssive
  • apprehensvie
  • apprehesnive
  • apprehhensive
  • apprehnesive
  • apprheensive
  • apprrehensive
  • aprehensive
  • aprpehensive
  • paprehensive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of apprehensive - 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.

apperhensive2appreehnsive2apprehenisve2apprehennsive1apprehensiev2apprehensivve1apprehenssive1apprehensvie2
Edit distance from "apprehensive"

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 "apprehensive"?
"apprehensive" is spelled A-P-P-R-E-H-E-N-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnsɪv/.
What does "apprehensive" mean?
As an adjective, "apprehensive" means: Anticipating something with anxiety, fear, or doubt; reluctant.
What words are commonly confused with "apprehensive"?
"apprehensive" is commonly confused with "apprehension". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "apprehensive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "apprehensive" is /ˌæpɹɪˈhɛnsɪv/. 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 "apprehensive"?
From Latin apprehensīvus, from apprehensus, perfect passive participle of apprehendō (“to apprehend, understand, learn”) + -īvus (“-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 "apprehensive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 12 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

urbanization#27,689middleweight#27,930multilingual#27,939genealogical#27,473

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

wainwright16 variantsclustering16 variantscomplicity16 variantssociologist16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list