excessive

/ɪkˈsɛsɪv/

//ɪkˈsɛsɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“excessive” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #5,881. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#5,881
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Exceeding the usual bounds of something; too much (of amount); extravagant; immoderate.

Corpus desk

Index EN-excessive · excessive · English

excessive · rank #5,881 · 11 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #5,881
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH entity

Nearest frequency peer: entity (-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 “excessive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “excessive” 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).

excessive vs expensive
78% similar
excessive vs exclusive
78% similar
excessive vs extensive
78% similar

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

Key facts for excessive
PropertyValue
Headwordexcessive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪkˈsɛsɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#5,881
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “excessive”

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).excessivelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “entity” (#5,880), “exercises” (#5,882), “eleven” (#5,879). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “excessive” is #5,881. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around excessive (IPA /ɪkˈsɛsɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #5,881 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Exceeding the usual bounds of something; too much (of amount); extravagant; immoderate.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for excessive, with forms such as "ecxessive", "exccessive", and "excesisve". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "expensive", "exclusive", "extensive", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English excessive, excessif, from Old French excessif, from Medieval Latin excessivus, equivalent to excess + -ive. The correct English form is excessive, spelled E-X-C-E-S-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Exceeding the usual bounds of something; too much (of amount); extravagant; immoderate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The movie's excessive use of special effects distracted from the plot.
  2. "You can throw off your cumbersome disguise here," said Lucy, though the words could scarcely be distinguished, from her excessive agitation, Evelyn hastily caught up a cloak and cap laid ready for him, and a few minutes brought them into the sitting-room.

Etymology

From Middle English excessive, excessif, from Old French excessif, from Medieval Latin excessivus, equivalent to excess + -ive.

Synonyms

devilishexcessiveextravagantextremeimmoderateintemperatelavishnimiousobsceneovermuchoverweeningover the topprodigalundueunmeasuredunreasonableunrestrainedwanton

Antonyms

deficientinsufficientmoderate

This word in other languages

excesivo(Español)excessif(Français)übermäßig(Deutsch)excessivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ecxessive
  • exccessive
  • excesisve
  • excesive
  • excessiev
  • excessivve
  • excessvie
  • excsesive
  • execssive
  • exxcessive
  • xecessive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of excessive - 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.

ecxessive2exccessive1excesisve2excesive1excessiev2excessivve1excessvie2excsesive2
Edit distance from "excessive"

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 "excessive"?
"excessive" is spelled E-X-C-E-S-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈsɛsɪv/.
What does "excessive" mean?
As an adjective, "excessive" means: Exceeding the usual bounds of something; too much (of amount); extravagant; immoderate.
What words are commonly confused with "excessive"?
"excessive" is commonly confused with "expensive", "exclusive", "extensive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "excessive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "excessive" is /ɪkˈsɛsɪv/. 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 "excessive"?
From Middle English excessive, excessif, from Old French excessif, from Medieval Latin excessivus, equivalent to excess + -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 "excessive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

exercises#5,882electoral#5,878governing#5,884interface#5,887

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

jewelry11 variantsdeadline11 variantsoriented11 variantschasing11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list