decisive
/dɪˈsaɪsɪv/
"decisive" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“decisive” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #9,593 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #9,593
- frequency rank, English
- 8
- letters
- 11
- tracked misspellings
- 4
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having the power or quality of deciding a question or controversy; putting an end to contest or controversy; final; conclusive.
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 | decisive |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /dɪˈsaɪsɪv/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #9,593 |
| Misspellings tracked | 11 |
| Confusable pairs | 4 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “decisive” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for decisive is 8 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /dɪˈsaɪsɪv/. Corpus data places it at rank #9,593 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for decisive, with forms such as "dceisive", "ddecisive", and "deccisive". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "divisive", "decisively", "deceive", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French décisif, equivalent to decide + -ive. The correct English form is decisive, spelled D-E-C-I-S-I-V-E.
Definition
- 1Having the power or quality of deciding a question or controversy; putting an end to contest or controversy; final; conclusive.
- 2Decided; definite; incontrovertible.
- 3Marked by promptness and decision.
Etymology
From Middle French décisif, equivalent to decide + -ive.
Synonyms
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: dceisive,ddecisive,deccisive,deciisve,decisiev,decisivve,decissive,decisvie,decsiive,deicsive,edcisive
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of decisive - 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 "decisive"?
What does "decisive" mean?
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Using “decisive”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is D-E-C-I-S-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /dɪˈsaɪsɪv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “divisive” - see the side-by-side comparison. decisive vs divisive
- 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.