convulsive

/kənˈvʌlsɪv/

//kənˈvʌlsɪv// adj

"convulsive" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“convulsive” is uncommon English (frequency #75,757 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#75,757
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Marked by or having the nature of convulsions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-convulsive · convulsive · English

convulsive · rank #75,757 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #75,757
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH continuations

Nearest frequency peer: continuations (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “convulsive”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “convulsive” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for convulsive
PropertyValue
Headwordconvulsive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/kənˈvʌlsɪv/
Letters10
Frequency rank#75,757
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “convulsive” in English

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).convulsivefalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “continuations” (#75,755), “contemporaneously” (#75,754), “consol” (#75,753). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “convulsive” is #75,757. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

convulsive is uncommon English at frequency #75,757 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /kənˈvʌlsɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

Zero misspellings are on record for convulsive in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French convulsif. The correct English form is convulsive, spelled C-O-N-V-U-L-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Marked by or having the nature of convulsions.
  2. 2
    Having or producing convulsions.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He scarcely appeared to heed what was doing on the stage; perhaps Norboume was the only one who noticed the convulsive movement of the bitten lip, or the slight shudder which shook him at any unexpected sound.

Etymology

From French convulsif.

This word in other languages

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 "convulsive"?
"convulsive" is spelled C-O-N-V-U-L-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /kənˈvʌlsɪv/.
What does "convulsive" mean?
As an adjective, "convulsive" means: Marked by or having the nature of convulsions.
How do you pronounce "convulsive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "convulsive" is /kənˈvʌlsɪv/. 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 "convulsive"?
From French convulsif. 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 "convulsive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list