infective

/ɪnˈfɛktɪv/

//ɪnˈfɛktɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“infective” is uncommon English (frequency #65,988 among 17,902 “I” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#65,988
frequency rank, English
17,902
“I” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Able to cause infection; infectious

Key facts for infective
PropertyValue
Headwordinfective
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈfɛktɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#65,988
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “infective” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). infective lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

infective is uncommon English at frequency #65,988 among 17,902 “I” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪnˈfɛktɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Able to cause infection; infectious".

infective has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter pattern doesn't lend itself to common typo substitutions. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From infect + -ive. The correct English form is infective, spelled I-N-F-E-C-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Able to cause infection; infectious

Etymology

From infect + -ive.

This word in other languages

infektiös(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 "infective"?
"infective" is spelled I-N-F-E-C-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈfɛktɪv/.
What does "infective" mean?
As an adjective, "infective" means: Able to cause infection; infectious
How do you pronounce "infective"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "infective" is /ɪnˈfɛktɪv/. 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 "infective"?
From infect + -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.

Using “infective”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-F-E-C-T-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈfɛktɪv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list