passive
pas·sive/ˈpæs.ɪv/adjective, noun
passive is spelled P-A-S-S-I-V-E: 7 letters and 2 syllables (pas·sive). It appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, passive means “Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in passive?
| Letters | 7: P-A-S-S-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2: pas·sive |
| In writing | 11 times per million words; the 6,784th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is passive?
Passive appears 11 times per million words in written English, the 6,784th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce passive?
- US /ˈpæs.ɪv/
Passive has 2 syllables, split pas·sive in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: En-us-passive.ogg, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with passive?
2 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as passive from its last stressed vowel (/æsɪv/):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of passive
- more passive comparative
- most passive superlative
- passives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does passive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
Being subjected to an action without producing a reaction.
- 2
Taking no action.
He remained passive during the protest.
- 3
Being in the passive voice.
- 4
Being inactive and submissive in a relationship, especially in a sexual one.
- 5
Not participating in management.
- 6
Without motive power.
a passive balloon
- 7
Of a component: that consumes but does not produce energy, or is incapable of power gain.
- 8
Where allowance is made for a possible future event.
noun
- 1
The passive voice of verbs.
- 2
A form of a verb that is in the passive voice.
- 3
A customer who is satisfied with a product or service, but not keen enough to promote it by word of mouth.
- 4
Any component that consumes but does not produce energy, or is incapable of power gain.
- 5
Ellipsis of passive attack.
- 6
A thing whose worth decreases with time.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate passive?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of passive: pass..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Passive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | passif |
| German | passiv , leidend, leidentlich, passivisch , Passiv, Passivum |
| Portuguese | passivo |
| Spanish | pasivo |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does passive come from?
From Middle English passyf, passyve, from Middle French, French passif, from Latin passivus (“serving to express the suffering of an action; in late Latin literally capable of suffering or feeling”), from passus, past participle of pati (“to suffer”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *peh₁- (“to hurt”); compare patient.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).