imaginative
i·ma·gi·na·tive/ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnətɪv/adjective
imaginative is spelled I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-V-E: 11 letters and 5 syllables (i·ma·gi·na·tive). It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, imaginative means “Having a lively or creative imagination” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in imaginative?
| Letters | 11: I-M-A-G-I-N-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 5: i·ma·gi·na·tive |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,005th 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 imaginative?
Imaginative appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th 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 imaginative?
- /ɪˈmæd͡ʒɪnətɪv/
- /-ənətɪv/
- /ɪˈmæd͡ʒnətɪv/
Imaginative has 5 syllables, split i·ma·gi·na·tive in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vininn126-imaginative.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of imaginative
- more imaginative comparative
- most imaginative superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does imaginative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Having a lively or creative imagination.
an imaginative boy
- 2
Tending to be fanciful or inventive.
an imaginative story
- 3
False or imagined.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Imaginative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | imaginatif , imaginaire |
| German | einfallsreich |
| Portuguese | imaginativo |
| Spanish | imaginativo |
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 imaginative come from?
From Middle English ymagynatif, from Middle French imaginatif, from Medieval Latin imāginātīvus. By surface analysis, imagine + -ative.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).