correlative

adj

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

The verdict

“correlative” is uncommon English (frequency #78,493 among 5,599 “C” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#78,493
frequency rank, English
5,599
“C” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mutually related; corresponding.

Corpus desk

Index EN-correlative · correlative · English

correlative · rank #78,493 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #78,493
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 5,599
  • PHOTO-FINISH coquette

Nearest frequency peer: coquette (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “correlative”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

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

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for correlative
PropertyValue
Headwordcorrelative
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters11
Frequency rank#78,493
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “correlative” in English

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).correlativefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “coquette” (#78,492), “coxswain” (#78,495), “cran” (#78,496). Among 5,599 “C” headwords, “correlative” is #78,493. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

correlative is uncommon English at frequency #78,493 among 5,599 “C” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Mutually related; corresponding.".

correlative has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From correlate + -ive or cor- + relative. The correct English form is correlative, spelled C-O-R-R-E-L-A-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mutually related; corresponding.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. If we reinterpret these phenomena in terms of a consistently game-playing model of behavior, the need to distinguish between primary and secondary gains disappears. The correlative necessity to estimate the relative significance of physiological needs and dammed-up impulses on the one hand, and of social and interpersonal factors on the other, also vanish…

Etymology

From correlate + -ive or cor- + relative.

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 "correlative"?
"correlative" is spelled C-O-R-R-E-L-A-T-I-V-E.
What does "correlative" mean?
As an adjective, "correlative" means: Mutually related; corresponding.
What is the origin of the word "correlative"?
From correlate + -ive or cor- + relative. 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 "correlative", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list