attentive
at·ten·tive/əˈtɛntɪv/adjective
attentive is spelled A-T-T-E-N-T-I-V-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables (at·ten·tive). It appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, attentive means “Paying attention; noticing, watching, listening, or attending closely” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in attentive?
| Letters | 9: A-T-T-E-N-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: at·ten·tive |
| In writing | 2.0 times per million words; the 19,589th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is attentive?
Attentive appears 2.0 times per million words in written English, the 19,589th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce attentive?
- US /əˈtɛntɪv/
- US [əˈtʰɛntʰɪv]
- US /əˈtɪntɪv/
Attentive has 3 syllables, split at·ten·tive in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-attentive.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with attentive?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as attentive from its last stressed vowel (/ɛntɪv/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: tentative.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of attentive
- more attentive comparative
- most attentive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does attentive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Paying attention; noticing, watching, listening, or attending closely.
She is an attentive listener, but does not like to talk much.
- 2
Courteous; mindful.
a husband attentive to his wife’s needs
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Attentive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense paying attention:
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does attentive come from?
From Middle English attentif, attentijf, from Old French attentif.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).