octave

/ˈɒktɪv/

//ˈɒktɪv// noun

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

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

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
1,431
“O” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.

Corpus desk

Index EN-octave · octave · English

octave · rank #26,191 · 8 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #26,191
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-MID 1,431
  • PHOTO-FINISH octane

Nearest frequency peer: octane (-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 “octave”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “octave” 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).

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
PropertyValue
Headwordoctave
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈɒktɪv/
Letters6
Frequency rank#26,191
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “octave”

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).octavelands 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 “octane” (#26,190), “oda” (#26,192), “novella” (#26,188). Among 1,431 “O” headwords, “octave” is #26,191. 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 1,431 “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. 1
    An interval of twelve semitones spanning eight degrees of the diatonic scale, representing a doubling or halving in pitch frequency.
  2. 2
    The pitch an octave higher than a given pitch.
  3. 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. 4
    A poetic stanza consisting of eight lines; usually used as one part of a sonnet.
  5. 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. 6
    The day that is one week after a feast day in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
  7. 7
    An eight-day period beginning on a feast day in the Latin rite of the Catholic Church.
  8. 8
    A small cask of wine, one eighth of a pipe.
  9. 9
    An octonion.
  10. 10
    Any of a number of coherent-noise functions of differing frequency that are added together to form Perlin noise.
  11. 11
    The subjective vibration of a planet.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The melody jumps up an octave at the beginning, then later drops back down an octave.
  2. The singer was known for astounding clarity over her entire five-octave range.

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.

cotave2ocatve2occtave1octaev2octavve1octtave1octvae2otcave2
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

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

Same letter count

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

octane#26,190muppet#26,181mullen#26,177morgue#26,174

Similar misspelling depth

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

novella8 variantsmunch8 variantslakhs8 variantsslimy8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list