explosive

/ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/

//ɛkˈspləʊsɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“explosive” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,444. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,444
frequency rank, English
2,246
“E” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Able to, or likely to, explode.

Corpus desk

Index EN-explosive · explosive · English

explosive · rank #7,444 · 13 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,444
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,246
  • PHOTO-FINISH exceptions

Nearest frequency peer: exceptions (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “explosive”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “explosive” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

explosive vs expensive
78% similar
explosive vs exclusive
78% similar
explosive vs explosion
78% similar

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

Key facts for explosive
PropertyValue
Headwordexplosive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#7,444
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “explosive” sits in English frequency

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).explosivelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “exceptions” (#7,443), “flooding” (#7,445), “fortunate” (#7,446). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around explosive (IPA /ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,444 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 explosive, with forms such as "epxlosive", "exlposive", and "expllosive". 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, "expensive", "exclusive", "explosion", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin explōs-, stem of the perfect passive participle of explōdō + the suffix -ive. The correct English form is explosive, spelled E-X-P-L-O-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Able to, or likely to, explode.
  2. 2
    Having the character of an explosion.
  3. 3
    Having the character of an explosion.
  4. 4
    Rapidly accelerating.
  5. 5
    Shocking; startling.
  6. 6
    Easily driven to anger, usually with reference to a person.
  7. 7
    Synonym of plosive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. an explosive device
  2. an explosive fire

Etymology

From Latin explōs-, stem of the perfect passive participle of explōdō + the suffix -ive.

This word in other languages

explosivo(Español)explosif(Français)explosiv(Deutsch)explosivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • epxlosive
  • exlposive
  • expllosive
  • exploisve
  • explosiev
  • explosivve
  • explossive
  • explosvie
  • explsoive
  • expolsive
  • expplosive
  • exxplosive
  • xeplosive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of explosive - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

epxlosive2exlposive2expllosive1exploisve2explosiev2explosivve1explossive1explosvie2
Edit distance from "explosive"

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 "explosive"?
"explosive" is spelled E-X-P-L-O-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/.
What does "explosive" mean?
As an adjective, "explosive" means: Able to, or likely to, explode.
What words are commonly confused with "explosive"?
"explosive" is commonly confused with "expensive", "exclusive", "explosion". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "explosive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "explosive" is /ɛkˈspləʊsɪv/. 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 "explosive"?
From Latin explōs-, stem of the perfect passive participle of explōdō + the suffix -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 "explosive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

fortunate#7,446curiosity#7,439condemned#7,434incentive#7,462

Similar misspelling depth

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

inclusive13 variantswritings13 variantsportable13 variantstownship13 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "explosive". Here's where to go from here.

  • "explosive" maps to 4 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "expensive". View pair
  • 13 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #7,444 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "E" letter cohort. E–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list