defective

/dɪˈfɛktɪv/

//dɪˈfɛktɪv// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"defective" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“defective” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,494. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,494
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Having one or more defects.

Corpus desk

Index EN-defective · defective · English

defective · rank #13,494 · 13 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,494
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH Denise

Nearest frequency peer: Denise (+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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “defective”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “defective” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

defective vs defensive
78% similar
defective vs detective
89% similar
defective vs directive
78% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for defective
PropertyValue
Headworddefective
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈfɛktɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#13,494
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “defective”

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).defectivelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “Denise” (#13,495), “crises” (#13,492), “deportation” (#13,496). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “defective” is #13,494. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around defective (IPA /dɪˈfɛktɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,494 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for defective, with forms such as "ddefective", "deefctive", and "defcetive". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "defensive", "detective", "directive", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English defectif, defective, from Old French defectif, from Late Latin dēfectīvus. The correct English form is defective, spelled D-E-F-E-C-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Having one or more defects.
  2. 2
    Lacking some forms; e.g., having only one tense or being usable only in the third person.
  3. 3
    Having a root whose final consonant is weak (ي, و, or ء).
  4. 4
    Not capable of representing all the phonemic distinctions of a language it is used to write.
  5. 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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. It is likely that the long evolutionary trajectory of Mycoplasma went from a reductive autotroph to oxidative heterotroph to a cell-wall–defective degenerate parasite. This evolutionary trajectory assumes the simplicity to complexity route of biogenesis, a point of view that is not universally accepted.

Etymology

From Middle English defectif, defective, from Old French defectif, from Late Latin dēfectīvus.

This word in other languages

defectuoso(Español)défectueux(Français)fehlerhaft(Deutsch)defeituoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddefective
  • deefctive
  • defcetive
  • defecctive
  • defecitve
  • defectiev
  • defectivve
  • defecttive
  • defectvie
  • defetcive
  • deffective
  • dfeective
  • edfective

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of defective - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

ddefective1deefctive2defcetive2defecctive1defecitve2defectiev2defectivve1defecttive1
Edit distance from "defective"

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 "defective"?
"defective" is spelled D-E-F-E-C-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈfɛktɪv/.
What does "defective" mean?
As an adjective, "defective" means: Having one or more defects.
What words are commonly confused with "defective"?
"defective" is commonly confused with "defensive", "detective", "directive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "defective"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "defective" is /dɪˈfɛktɪv/. 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 "defective"?
From Middle English defectif, defective, from Old French defectif, from Late Latin dēfectīvus. 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 "defective", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

deserving#13,497disgusted#13,499Colombian#13,485cartridge#13,477

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

crescent13 variantswillingly13 variantsstaircase13 variantssilently13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list