declivitous

/dɪˈklɪ.vɪ.təs/

//dɪˈklɪ.vɪ.təs// adj

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

The verdict

“declivitous” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. 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) - Descending gradually; sloping; downhill.

Corpus desk

Index EN-declivitous · declivitous · English

declivitous · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "D" 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 declivitous
PropertyValue
Headworddeclivitous
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈklɪ.vɪ.təs/
Letters11
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “declivitous” in English

declivitousfalls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

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

Rare enough to double-check

declivitous is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /dɪˈklɪ.vɪ.təs/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for declivitous in our index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: Latin declivus (“sloping down”), from de- (“down from”) + clivus (“slope”). The correct English form is declivitous, spelled D-E-C-L-I-V-I-T-O-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    Descending gradually; sloping; downhill.
  2. 2
    At lower levels; lowly.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Where the ground is declivitous, it is requisite that the hole should be deeper, in addition to which it should be artificially elevated on the edge of the lower side.
  2. The forest covers a declivitous slope, at an elevation of about 5,000 feet, and extends to the verge of the steep descent into the table-land of Wynaad.

Etymology

Latin declivus (“sloping down”), from de- (“down from”) + clivus (“slope”).

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 "declivitous"?
"declivitous" is spelled D-E-C-L-I-V-I-T-O-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈklɪ.vɪ.təs/.
What does "declivitous" mean?
As an adjective, "declivitous" means: Descending gradually; sloping; downhill.
How do you pronounce "declivitous"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "declivitous" is /dɪˈklɪ.vɪ.təs/. 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 "declivitous"?
Latin declivus (“sloping down”), from de- (“down from”) + clivus (“slope”). 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