octave

Name: octave, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈɒktɪv/

//ˈɒktɪv// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“octave” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #26,191. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#26,191
frequency rank, English: 15,494
“O” headwords: 8
tracked misspellings: 3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

octave vs outage

67% similar

octave vs Octavia

57% similar

octave vs octane

83% similar

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

Key facts for octave
Property	Value
Headword	octave
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈɒktɪv/
Letters	6
Frequency rank	#26,191
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	3
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “octave” 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). octave lands here:

#26,191

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around octave (IPA /ˈɒktɪv/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #26,191 among 15,494 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for octave, with forms such as "cotave", "ocatve", and "occtave". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "outage", "Octavia", "octane", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin octavus (“eighth”). Doublet of octavo, ochava, and oitava. The correct English form is octave, spelled O-C-T-A-V-E.

Definition

1
An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.
2
The pitch an octave higher than a given pitch.
3
A coupler on an organ which allows the organist to sound the note an octave above the note of the key pressed (cf sub-octave)
4
A poetic stanza consisting of eight lines; usually used as one part of a sonnet.
5
The eighth defensive position, with the sword hand held at waist height, and the tip of the sword out straight at knee level.
6
The day that is one week after a feast day in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
7
An eight-day period beginning on a feast day in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
8
A small cask of wine, one eighth of a pipe.
9
An octonion.
10
Any of a number of coherent-noise functions of differing frequency that are added together to form Perlin noise.
11
The subjective vibration of a planet.

Etymology

From Latin octavus (“eighth”). Doublet of octavo, ochava, and oitava.

This word in other languages

octava(Español)Oktave(Deutsch)oitava(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

cotave
ocatve
occtave
octaev
octavve
octtave
octvae
otcave

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of octave - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "octave"

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 "octave"?

"octave" is spelled O-C-T-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈɒktɪv/.

What does "octave" mean?

As a noun, "octave" means: An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.

What words are commonly confused with "octave"?

"octave" is commonly confused with "outage", "Octavia", "octane". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "octave"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "octave" is /ˈɒktɪv/. 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 "octave"?

From Latin octavus (“eighth”). Doublet of octavo, ochava, and oitava. 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 “octave”

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

The one correct English spelling is O-C-T-A-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈɒktɪv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “outage” - see the side-by-side comparison. octave vs outage
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.