costiveness

/ˈkɒstɪvnəs/

//ˈkɒstɪvnəs// noun

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

The verdict

“costiveness” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
11
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state or quality of being costive; constipation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-costiveness · costiveness · English

costiveness · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "C" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for costiveness
PropertyValue
Headwordcostiveness
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈkɒstɪvnəs/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “costiveness” in English

costivenessranks outside the top 100,000 English headwords, in the long tail of specialist, archaic, or seldom-used vocabulary, exactly the territory where a reader stops mid-sentence to double-check spelling.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

costiveness is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈkɒstɪvnəs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for costiveness, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From costive + -ness. The correct English form is costiveness, spelled C-O-S-T-I-V-E-N-E-S-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state or quality of being costive; constipation.
  2. 2
    Inability to express oneself; stiffness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The new cases prove that in habitual costiveness or inactivity of the bowels, galvanism is a more valuable remedy, and that its effects are permanent .
  2. a reverend disputant of the same coftiveness in public elocution with myself

Etymology

From costive + -ness.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "costiveness"?
"costiveness" is spelled C-O-S-T-I-V-E-N-E-S-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈkɒstɪvnəs/.
What does "costiveness" mean?
As a noun, "costiveness" means: The state or quality of being costive; constipation.
How do you pronounce "costiveness"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "costiveness" is /ˈkɒstɪvnəs/. 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 "costiveness"?
From costive + -ness. 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list