facultative

/ˈfæ.kəl.tə.tɪv/

//ˈfæ.kəl.tə.tɪv// adj

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

"facultative" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“facultative” is uncommon English (frequency #81,314 among 2,507 “F” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#81,314
frequency rank, English
2,507
“F” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to faculty, especially to mental faculty.

Corpus desk

Index EN-facultative · facultative · English

facultative · rank #81,314 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #81,314
  • LEN-MEGA 11 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 2,507
  • PHOTO-FINISH Fairlie

Nearest frequency peer: Fairlie (+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.

Long-tail ranks near “facultative”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “facultative” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for facultative
PropertyValue
Headwordfacultative
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈfæ.kəl.tə.tɪv/
Letters11
Frequency rank#81,314
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “facultative” in English

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).facultativefalls in this rarity band:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Rare peers in the same band: “Fairlie” (#81,315), “Fajardo” (#81,316), “faxing” (#81,317). Among 2,507 “F” headwords, “facultative” is #81,314. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

facultative is uncommon English at frequency #81,314 among 2,507 “F” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈfæ.kəl.tə.tɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

facultative doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From French facultatif. By surface analysis, faculty + -ative. The correct English form is facultative, spelled F-A-C-U-L-T-A-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to faculty, especially to mental faculty.
  2. 2
    Not obligate; optional, discretionary or elective.
  3. 3
    That grants permission or power to do something.
  4. 4
    Able to perform a particular life function, or to live generally, in more than one way.
  5. 5
    At which a given function is positive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But does the penny fare end here, said Mr. Nixon, at a merely facultative stop? Surely it ends rather at the station.
  2. The policy would be a “facultative” policy, whereby the insurers would first have assessed the risk involved in the particular shipment and decided to accept it.

Etymology

From French facultatif. By surface analysis, faculty + -ative.

This word in other languages

facultativo(Español)facultatif(Français)fähig(Deutsch)

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 "facultative"?
"facultative" is spelled F-A-C-U-L-T-A-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈfæ.kəl.tə.tɪv/.
What does "facultative" mean?
As an adjective, "facultative" means: Of or relating to faculty, especially to mental faculty.
How do you pronounce "facultative"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "facultative" is /ˈfæ.kəl.tə.tɪv/. 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 "facultative"?
From French facultatif. By surface analysis, faculty + -ative. 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 "facultative", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 11 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Frenchwoman#81,342dressmaking#81,283democratize#81,261granulation#81,372

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list