exclusive

/ɪkˈsklu.sɪv/

//ɪkˈsklu.sɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“exclusive” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,675. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,675
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions.

Corpus desk

Index EN-exclusive · exclusive · English

exclusive · rank #2,675 · 13 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,675
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH employment

Nearest frequency peer: employment (-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 “exclusive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “exclusive” 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).

exclusive vs explosive
78% similar
exclusive vs exclusively
82% similar
exclusive vs elusive
78% similar

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

Key facts for exclusive
PropertyValue
Headwordexclusive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪkˈsklu.sɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#2,675
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “exclusive”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).exclusivelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “employment” (#2,674), “excuse” (#2,676), “el” (#2,673). Among 2,246 “E” headwords, “exclusive” is #2,675. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around exclusive (IPA /ɪkˈsklu.sɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,675 among 2,246 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for exclusive, with forms such as "ecxlusive", "excclusive", and "excllusive". 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 5 confusable-pair relationships, "explosive", "exclusively", "elusive", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin exclūsīvus, from excludere (“to shut out, exclude”), from ex- (“out”) + variant form of verb claudere (“to close, shut”). The correct English form is exclusive, spelled E-X-C-L-U-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions.
  2. 2
    Referring to a membership organisation, service or product: of high quality and/or renown, for superior members only.
  3. 3
    A snobbish usage, suggesting that members who do not meet requirements, which may be financial, of social status, religion, skin colour etc., are excluded.
  4. 4
    Exclusionary.
  5. 5
    Whole, undivided, entire.
  6. 6
    Of or relating to the first-person plural pronoun when excluding the person being addressed.
  7. 7
    Having a romantic or sexual relationship with one another, to the exclusion of others.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Exclusive clubs tend to serve exclusive brands of food and drinks, in the same exorbitant price range, such as the 'finest' French châteaux.
  2. The teacher's pet commands the teacher's exclusive attention.

Etymology

From Latin exclūsīvus, from excludere (“to shut out, exclude”), from ex- (“out”) + variant form of verb claudere (“to close, shut”).

Antonyms

inclusivenon-exclusive

This word in other languages

exclusivo(Español)exclusif(Français)ausschließlich(Deutsch)exclusivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ecxlusive
  • excclusive
  • excllusive
  • exclsuive
  • excluisve
  • exclusiev
  • exclusivve
  • exclussive
  • exclusvie
  • exculsive
  • exlcusive
  • exxclusive
  • xeclusive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of exclusive - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

ecxlusive2excclusive1excllusive1exclsuive2excluisve2exclusiev2exclusivve1exclussive1
Edit distance from "exclusive"

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 "exclusive"?
"exclusive" is spelled E-X-C-L-U-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪkˈsklu.sɪv/.
What does "exclusive" mean?
As an adjective, "exclusive" means: Excluding items or members that do not meet certain conditions.
What words are commonly confused with "exclusive"?
"exclusive" is commonly confused with "explosive", "exclusively", "elusive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "exclusive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "exclusive" is /ɪkˈsklu.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 "exclusive"?
From Latin exclūsīvus, from excludere (“to shut out, exclude”), from ex- (“out”) + variant form of verb claudere (“to close, shut”). 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 "exclusive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

depending#2,669hopefully#2,681personnel#2,693programme#2,641

Similar misspelling depth

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

partners13 variantspregnant13 variantsopposition13 variantssentence13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list