injective

/ɪnˈd͡ʒɛktɪv/

//ɪnˈd͡ʒɛktɪv// adj

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

The verdict

“injective” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of, relating to, or being an injection: such that each element of the image (or range) is associated with at most one element of the preimage (or domain); inverse-deterministic

Key facts for injective
PropertyValue
Headwordinjective
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɪnˈd͡ʒɛktɪv/
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “injective” sits in English frequency

injective falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

injective is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛktɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 4 senses are on record.

injective has no tracked misspelling variants, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: This term was introduced by Nicolas Bourbaki in his treatise Éléments de mathématique. The correct English form is injective, spelled I-N-J-E-C-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of, relating to, or being an injection: such that each element of the image (or range) is associated with at most one element of the preimage (or domain); inverse-deterministic
  2. 2
    Loosely, having a certain generalizing property, abstracted from the study of ℚ as a ℤ-module. Formally, such that any short exact sequence of (left) R-modules beginning with M splits, or any of several equivalent statements: See Injective module.
  3. 3
    Loosely, having a property analogous to that which characterizes injective modules (see above). Formally, such that, given a monomorphism f:X→Y in C, for every morphism g:X→Q there exists a morphism h:Y→Q such that h∘f=g; see Injective object.
  4. 4
    Such that the objects (usually modules) involved in the resolution are injective (in the algebraic senses above).

Etymology

This term was introduced by Nicolas Bourbaki in his treatise Éléments de mathématique.

This word in other languages

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "injective"?
"injective" is spelled I-N-J-E-C-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛktɪv/.
What does "injective" mean?
As an adjective, "injective" means: Of, relating to, or being an injection: such that each element of the image (or range) is associated with at most one element of the preimage (or domain); inverse-deterministic
How do you pronounce "injective"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "injective" is /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛktɪv/. 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 "injective"?
This term was introduced by Nicolas Bourbaki in his treatise Éléments de mathématique. 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 “injective”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is I-N-J-E-C-T-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɪnˈd͡ʒɛktɪv/ (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
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