obsessive

/əbˈsɛs.ɪv/

//əbˈsɛs.ɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“obsessive” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,548. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,548
frequency rank, English
1,431
“O” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Prone to cause obsession.

Corpus desk

Index EN-obsessive · obsessive · English

obsessive · rank #16,548 · 11 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #16,548
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH ob

Nearest frequency peer: ob (-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 “obsessive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “obsessive” 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).

obsessive vs obsessively
82% similar
obsessive vs obsession
78% similar

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

Key facts for obsessive
PropertyValue
Headwordobsessive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/əbˈsɛs.ɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#16,548
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “obsessive”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).obsessivelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “ob” (#16,547), “offending” (#16,549), “nutshell” (#16,546). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “obsessive” is #16,548. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around obsessive (IPA /əbˈsɛs.ɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,548 among 1,431 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for obsessive, with forms such as "bosessive", "obbsessive", and "obesssive". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "obsessively", "obsession", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From obsess + -ive. The correct English form is obsessive, spelled O-B-S-E-S-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Prone to cause obsession.
  2. 2
    Having one thought or pursuing one activity to the absolute or nearly absolute exclusion of all others.
  3. 3
    Excessive, as results from obsession.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The idea is too tempting, it's obsessive.
  2. Hardcore fans' obsessive behavior may take over their lives.

Etymology

From obsess + -ive.

Synonyms

unrelentingunyieldingheadstrong

This word in other languages

obsesivo(Español)obsessif(Français)obsessiv(Deutsch)obsessivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • bosessive
  • obbsessive
  • obesssive
  • obsesisve
  • obsesive
  • obsessiev
  • obsessivve
  • obsessvie
  • obssesive
  • obssessive
  • osbessive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of obsessive - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

bosessive2obbsessive1obesssive2obsesisve2obsesive1obsessiev2obsessivve1obsessvie2
Edit distance from "obsessive"

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 "obsessive"?
"obsessive" is spelled O-B-S-E-S-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /əbˈsɛs.ɪv/.
What does "obsessive" mean?
As an adjective, "obsessive" means: Prone to cause obsession.
What words are commonly confused with "obsessive"?
"obsessive" is commonly confused with "obsessively", "obsession". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "obsessive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "obsessive" is /əbˈsɛs.ɪv/. 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 "obsessive"?
From obsess + -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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "obsessive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

offending#16,549offseason#16,550overboard#16,552posterior#16,562

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

nutshell11 variantspendant11 variantsManitoba11 variantslyrical11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list