elective
/ɪˈlɛktɪv/adjective, noun
elective is spelled E-L-E-C-T-I-V-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, elective means “Of, or pertaining to voting or elections; involving a choice between options” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in elective?
| Letters | 8: E-L-E-C-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 2.1 times per million words; the 19,077th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is elective?
Elective appears 2.1 times per million words in written English, the 19,077th 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 elective?
- /ɪˈlɛktɪv/
Elective 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: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-elective.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Wodencafe-elective.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of elective
- more elective comparative
- most elective superlative
- electives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does elective mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of, or pertaining to voting or elections; involving a choice between options.
- 2
Open to choice; freely chosen; (also, usually) unnecessary; minor.
After accounting for all of my required courses, there is hardly any room in my schedule for any elective ones.
- 3
Scheduled and nonemergent (regardless of whether necessary or unnecessary and whether minor or serious).
It was very confusing hearing my cancer surgery being classified as "elective surgery". Am I "electing" to live rather than die?
noun
- 1
Something that is an option or may be freely chosen, especially a course of study.
I still need to decide which electives to take along with my compulsory courses next semester.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Elective in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | eletivo |
| Spanish | electivo |
| French | facultatif , option |
| German | elektiv, optional, wählend , Wahlfach |
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 elective come from?
From elect + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).