indicative
/ɪnˈdɪk.ə.tɪv/adjective, noun
indicative is spelled I-N-D-I-C-A-T-I-V-E: 10 letters and 4 syllables. It appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, indicative means “Serving as a sign, indication or suggestion of something” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in indicative?
| Letters | 10: I-N-D-I-C-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 4 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.7 times per million words; the 13,496th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is indicative?
Indicative appears 3.7 times per million words in written English, the 13,496th 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 indicative?
- US /ɪnˈdɪk.ə.tɪv/
Indicative has 4 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-indicative.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with indicative?
One word on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as indicative from its last stressed vowel (/ɪkətɪv/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of indicative
- more indicative comparative
- most indicative superlative
- ind.
- indicatives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does indicative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Serving as a sign, indication or suggestion of something.
He had pains indicative of a heart attack.
- 2
Of, or relating to the indicative mood.
noun
- 1
The indicative mood.
- 2
A term in the indicative mood.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate indicative?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of indicative: ind..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Indicative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | indicatif |
| German | indikativ, hinweisend , Indikativ |
| Portuguese | indicativo, indicador |
| Spanish | indicativo |
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 indicative come from?
From Middle French indicatif, from Late Latin indicātīvus. By surface analysis, indicate + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).