facultative
fac·ul·ta·tive/ˈfæ.kəlˌteɪ.tɪv/adjective
facultative is spelled F-A-C-U-L-T-A-T-I-V-E: 11 letters and 4 syllables (fac·ul·ta·tive). It appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, facultative means “Of or relating to faculty, especially to mental faculty” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in facultative?
| Letters | 11: F-A-C-U-L-T-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4: fac·ul·ta·tive |
| In writing | about once in every 7 million words; the 81,375th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is facultative?
Facultative appears about once in every 7 million words in written English, the 81,375th 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 facultative?
- UK /ˈfæ.kəl.tə.tɪv/
- US /ˈfæ.kəlˌteɪ.tɪv/
Facultative has 4 syllables, split fac·ul·ta·tive in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Flame,_not_lame-facultative.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of facultative
- more facultative comparative
- most facultative superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does facultative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Of or relating to faculty, especially to mental faculty.
- 2
Not obligate; optional, discretionary or elective.
- 3
That grants permission or power to do something.
- 4
Able to perform a particular life function, or to live generally, in more than one way.
facultative feeder
- 5
At which a given function is positive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Facultative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | fähig , fakultativ, optional , freigestellt |
| French | facultatif |
| Portuguese | facultativo |
| Spanish | facultativo |
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 facultative come from?
From French facultatif. By surface analysis, faculty + -ative.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).