derisive
/dɪˈɹaɪ.sɪv/
"derisive" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“derisive” is uncommon English (frequency #62,092 among 3,470 “D” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #62,092
- frequency rank, English
- 3,470
- “D” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expressing or characterized by derision; mocking; ridiculing.
Corpus desk
Index EN-derisive · derisive · English
derisive · rank #62,092 · 0 variants · 0 confusables
- FREQ-RARE #62,092
- LEN-LONG 8 letters
- VOW-4 4 vowels
- CONFUS-0 No pairs
- VAR-0 0 variants
- BOOK-MID 3,470
- PHOTO-FINISH Denby
Nearest frequency peer: Denby (-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.
Long-tail ranks near “derisive”
Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter
- decapitate
decapitate
37,912 corpus weight
- Denby
Denby
37,910 corpus weight
- derisive
derisive
37,909 corpus weight
- desperado
desperado
37,908 corpus weight
- dethrone
dethrone
37,907 corpus weight
- deviled
deviled
37,905 corpus weight
What this shows Long-tail view: where “derisive” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | derisive |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /dɪˈɹaɪ.sɪv/ |
| Letters | 8 |
| Frequency rank | #62,092 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Long-tail rank of “derisive” in English
Rare enough to double-check
derisive is uncommon English at frequency #62,092 among 3,470 “D” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /dɪˈɹaɪ.sɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
derisive doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.
Etymologically, the entry records: From the participle stem of Latin dērīdeō (“I deride”) + -ive. The correct English form is derisive, spelled D-E-R-I-S-I-V-E.
Definition
- 1Expressing or characterized by derision; mocking; ridiculing.
- 2Deserving or provoking derision or ridicule.
Recorded use
Wiktionary examplesThese source excerpts show how derisive appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.
The critic's review of the film was derisive.
It’s a humiliating moment, to be sure. Tripp is riding to school with a bunch of other kids when a classmate pulls up alongside the bus driving a sweet, tricked-out truck, attractive young lady at his side, and shoots Tripp a derisive look.
Etymology
From the participle stem of Latin dērīdeō (“I deride”) + -ive.
This word in other languages
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
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Similar English words by spelling shape
Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "derisive", not the corpus desk frequency band.
Same letter count
Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).