motive

/ˈməʊtɪv/

//ˈməʊtɪv// noun

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

"motive" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“motive” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,817. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,817
frequency rank, English
4,057
“M” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting.

Corpus desk

Index EN-motive · motive · English

motive · rank #7,817 · 8 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,817
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,057
  • PHOTO-FINISH modeling

Nearest frequency peer: modeling (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “motive”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “motive” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

motive vs move
67% similar
motive vs movie
67% similar
motive vs motives
86% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for motive
PropertyValue
Headwordmotive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈməʊtɪv/
Letters6
Frequency rank#7,817
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “motive”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “modeling” (#7,816), “medicare” (#7,815), “neighbourhood” (#7,819). Among 4,057 “M” headwords, “motive” is #7,817. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around motive (IPA /ˈməʊtɪv/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #7,817 among 4,057 “M” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for motive, with forms such as "mmotive", "moitve", and "motiev". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 10 confusable-pair relationships, "move", "movie", "motives", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English motif, from Anglo-Norman motif, Middle French motif, and their source, Late Latin motivum (“motive, moving cause”), neuter of motivus. The correct English form is motive, spelled M-O-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting.
  2. 2
    An incentive to act in a particular way; a reason or emotion that makes one want to do something; anything that prompts a choice of action.
  3. 3
    A limb or other bodily organ that can move.
  4. 4
    Something which causes someone to want to commit a crime; a reason for criminal behaviour.
  5. 5
    Alternative form of motif.
  6. 6
    A party, gathering, or get-together.
  7. 7
    One's plans for the day or night.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. there's something in a woman beyond all human delight; a magnetic virtue, a charming quality, an occult and powerful motive.
  2. Many of them at first seemed kind to him, but it turned out their motives were not entirely altruistic.

Etymology

From Middle English motif, from Anglo-Norman motif, Middle French motif, and their source, Late Latin motivum (“motive, moving cause”), neuter of motivus.

This word in other languages

motivo(Español)motif(Français)Motiv(Deutsch)motivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • mmotive
  • moitve
  • motiev
  • motivve
  • mottive
  • motvie
  • mtoive
  • omtive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of motive - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

mmotive1moitve2motiev2motivve1mottive1motvie2mtoive2omtive2
Edit distance from "motive"

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 "motive"?
"motive" is spelled M-O-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈməʊtɪv/.
What does "motive" mean?
As a noun, "motive" means: An idea or communication that makes one want to act, especially from spiritual sources; a divine prompting.
What words are commonly confused with "motive"?
"motive" is commonly confused with "move", "movie", "motives". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "motive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "motive" is /ˈməʊtɪv/. 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 "motive"?
From Middle English motif, from Anglo-Norman motif, Middle French motif, and their source, Late Latin motivum (“motive, moving cause”), neuter of motivus. 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 "motive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

masses#7,814newton#7,822oppose#7,823locate#7,809

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

locks8 variantslance8 variantspacks8 variantsgrind8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list