causative
/ˈkɔːzətɪv/
"causative" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“causative” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #42,574 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #42,574
- frequency rank, English
- 9
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 2
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Acting as a cause.
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 | causative |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈkɔːzətɪv/ |
| Letters | 9 |
| Frequency rank | #42,574 |
| Misspellings tracked | 12 |
| Confusable pairs | 2 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “causative” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for causative is 9 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈkɔːzətɪv/. Corpus data places it at rank #42,574 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 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 causative, with forms such as "acusative", "casuative", and "cauastive". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 2 confusable-pair relationships, "curative", "causation", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.
Etymologically, the entry records: From French causatif, from Latin causātīvus (“causative, pertaining to a lawsuit, accusative”), from causa (“cause”); see cause (verb) and -ive. The correct English form is causative, spelled C-A-U-S-A-T-I-V-E.
Definition
- 1Acting as a cause.
- 2Involving, or affected by, causality.
- 3Expressing a cause or causation.
Etymology
From French causatif, from Latin causātīvus (“causative, pertaining to a lawsuit, accusative”), from causa (“cause”); see cause (verb) and -ive.
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: acusative,casuative,cauastive,causaitve,causatiev,causativve,causattive,causatvie,caussative,caustaive,ccausative,cuasative
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of causative - 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 "causative"?
What does "causative" mean?
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Using “causative”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is C-A-U-S-A-T-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈkɔːzətɪv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “curative” - see the side-by-side comparison. causative vs curative
- 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.