defensive

/dɪˈfɛn.sɪv/

//dɪˈfɛn.sɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“defensive” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #3,747. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#3,747
frequency rank, English
3,470
“D” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Intended for defence; protective.

Corpus desk

Index EN-defensive · defensive · English

defensive · rank #3,747 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #3,747
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 3,470
  • PHOTO-FINISH connect

Nearest frequency peer: connect (-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 “defensive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “defensive” 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).

defensive vs defensively
82% similar
defensive vs defense
78% similar
defensive vs defective
78% similar

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

Key facts for defensive
PropertyValue
Headworddefensive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/dɪˈfɛn.sɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#3,747
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “defensive”

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).defensivelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “connect” (#3,746), “designs” (#3,748), “commonly” (#3,745). Among 3,470 “D” headwords, “defensive” is #3,747. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around defensive (IPA /dɪˈfɛn.sɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #3,747 among 3,470 “D” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for defensive, with forms such as "ddefensive", "deefnsive", and "defenisve". 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, "defensively", "defense", "defective", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French défensif. Morphologically defense + -ive. The correct English form is defensive, spelled D-E-F-E-N-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Intended for defence; protective.
  2. 2
    Intended to deter attack.
  3. 3
    Performed so as to minimise risk.
  4. 4
    Displaying an inordinate sensitivity to criticism or intrusion; oversensitive; thin-skinned.
  5. 5
    Of a bowling or fielding tactic designed to prevent the other side from scoring runs; of a batting tactic designed to prevent being out.
  6. 6
    Pertaining to defense, as opposed to attack.
  7. 7
    In a state or posture of defense.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a defensive perimeter
  2. a defensive missile system

Etymology

From Middle French défensif. Morphologically defense + -ive.

Antonyms

offensive

This word in other languages

defensivo(Español)défensif(Français)Abwehr-(Deutsch)defensivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ddefensive
  • deefnsive
  • defenisve
  • defennsive
  • defensiev
  • defensivve
  • defenssive
  • defensvie
  • defesnive
  • deffensive
  • defnesive
  • dfeensive
  • edfensive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of defensive - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ddefensive1deefnsive2defenisve2defennsive1defensiev2defensivve1defenssive1defensvie2
Edit distance from "defensive"

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 "defensive"?
"defensive" is spelled D-E-F-E-N-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /dɪˈfɛn.sɪv/.
What does "defensive" mean?
As an adjective, "defensive" means: Intended for defence; protective.
What words are commonly confused with "defensive"?
"defensive" is commonly confused with "defensively", "defense", "defective". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "defensive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "defensive" is /dɪˈfɛn.sɪv/. 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 "defensive"?
From Middle French défensif. Morphologically defense + -ive. 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 "defensive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

amendment#3,736passenger#3,774reduction#3,716narrative#3,706

Similar misspelling depth

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

efficiency13 variantsfindings13 variantssubjects13 variantshandling13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list