defective
/dɪˈfɛktɪv/adjective, adverb, noun
defective is spelled D-E-F-E-C-T-I-V-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, defective means “Having one or more defects” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in defective?
| Letters | 9: D-E-F-E-C-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.7 times per million words; the 13,496th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is defective?
Defective appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce defective?
- UK /dɪˈfɛktɪv/
Defective has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-defective.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with defective?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as defective from its last stressed vowel (/ɛktɪv/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of defective
- more defective comparative
- most defective superlative
- defectives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does defective mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having one or more defects.
If the workmanship is defective, they'll replace the shoes with a new pair.
- 2
Lacking some forms; e.g., having only one tense or being usable only in the third person.
- 3
Having a root whose final consonant is weak (ي, و, or ء).
- 4
Not capable of representing all the phonemic distinctions of a language it is used to write.
- 5
Spelled without matres lectionis, for example אמץ (ómets, “courage”) as opposed to the plene spelling אומץ where the letter vav ⟨ו⟩ indicates the vowel o.
adverb
- 1
Without matres lectionis (letters indicating vowels) written out.
noun
- 1
A person or thing considered to be defective.
- 2
A word written without matres lectionis (letters indicating vowels).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Defective in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | défectueux , défectif |
| German | fehlerhaft, defekt , mangelhaft, unvollständig |
| Portuguese | defeituoso , defectivo |
| Spanish | defectuoso , defectivo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does defective come from?
From Middle English defectif, defective, from Old French defectif, from Late Latin dēfectīvus.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).