competitive

/kəmˈpɛtɪtɪv/

//kəmˈpɛtɪtɪv// adj

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

"competitive" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“competitive” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,620. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,620
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to competition.

Corpus desk

Index EN-competitive · competitive · English

competitive · rank #2,620 · 16 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,620
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH Clinton

Nearest frequency peer: Clinton (-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 “competitive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “competitive” 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).

competitive vs competitively
85% similar
competitive vs competition
82% similar

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

Key facts for competitive
PropertyValue
Headwordcompetitive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kəmˈpɛtɪtɪv/
Letters11
Frequency rank#2,620
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “competitive”

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).competitivelands 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 “Clinton” (#2,619), “detail” (#2,621), “chemical” (#2,618). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “competitive” is #2,620. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around competitive (IPA /kəmˈpɛtɪtɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,620 among 5,599 “C” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for competitive, with forms such as "ccompetitive", "cmopetitive", and "comeptitive". 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, "competitively", "competition", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin competītus (past participle of competere) + -ive. The correct English form is competitive, spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-I-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or pertaining to competition.
  2. 2
    Inclined to compete.
  3. 3
    Capable of competing successfully.
  4. 4
    Relating to the inhibition of the effects of a chemical substance by another substance competing with it for binding or bonding.
  5. 5
    Cheap, especially used of quality products.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The final remnants of the competitive spirit between companies will be eliminated, and there is no reasonable prospect that the dull uniformity of standardisation will be offset by greater efficiency in operation.
  2. Manchester United's Tom Cleverley impressed on his first competitive start and Lampard demonstrated his continued worth at international level in a performance that was little more than a stroll once England swiftly exerted their obvious authority.

Etymology

From Latin competītus (past participle of competere) + -ive.

This word in other languages

competitivo(Español)compétitif(Français)Wettbewerbs-(Deutsch)competitivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ccompetitive
  • cmopetitive
  • comeptitive
  • commpetitive
  • compeittive
  • competiitve
  • competitiev
  • competitivve
  • competittive
  • competitvie
  • compettiive
  • compettitive
  • comppetitive
  • compteitive
  • copmetitive
  • ocmpetitive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of competitive - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ccompetitive1cmopetitive2comeptitive2commpetitive1compeittive2competiitve2competitiev2competitivve1
Edit distance from "competitive"

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 "competitive"?
"competitive" is spelled C-O-M-P-E-T-I-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kəmˈpɛtɪtɪv/.
What does "competitive" mean?
As an adjective, "competitive" means: Of or pertaining to competition.
What words are commonly confused with "competitive"?
"competitive" is commonly confused with "competitively", "competition". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "competitive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "competitive" is /kəmˈpɛtɪtɪv/. 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 "competitive"?
From Latin competītus (past participle of competere) + -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 "competitive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

possibility#2,589perspective#2,694corporation#2,524experiences#2,733

Similar misspelling depth

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

employment16 variantsfrequently16 variantsimportance16 variantsperforming16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list