positive

/ˈpɑzɪtɪv/

//ˈpɑzɪtɪv// adj

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

"positive" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“positive” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #1,109. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#1,109
frequency rank, English
4,417
“P” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Included, present, characterized by affirmation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-positive · positive · English

positive · rank #1,109 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #1,109
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,417
  • PHOTO-FINISH link

Nearest frequency peer: link (-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 “positive”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “positive” 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).

positive vs punitive
75% similar
positive vs positively
80% similar
positive vs position
75% similar

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

Key facts for positive
PropertyValue
Headwordpositive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈpɑzɪtɪv/
Letters8
Frequency rank#1,109
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “positive”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).positivelands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “link” (#1,108), “sale” (#1,110), “kid” (#1,107). Among 4,417 “P” headwords, “positive” is #1,109. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around positive (IPA /ˈpɑzɪtɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #1,109 among 4,417 “P” headwords. Wiktionary lists 24 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for positive, with forms such as "opsitive", "poistive", and "posiitve". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "punitive", "positively", "position", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Old French positif, from Latin positivus, from the past participle stem of ponere (“to place”). Compare posit. The correct English form is positive, spelled P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Included, present, characterized by affirmation.
  2. 2
    Formally laid down.
  3. 3
    Stated definitively and without qualification.
  4. 4
    Fully assured in opinion.
  5. 5
    Greater than zero.
  6. 6
    Greater than or equal to zero.
  7. 7
    Characterized by constructiveness or influence for the better.
  8. 8
    Overconfident, dogmatic.
  9. 9
    Actual, real, concrete, not theoretical or speculative.
  10. 10
    Having more protons than electrons.
  11. 11
    Describing the primary sense of an adjective, adverb or noun; not comparative, superlative, augmentative nor diminutive.
  12. 12
    Describing a verb that is not negated, especially in languages which have distinct positive and negative verb forms, e.g., Finnish.
  13. 13
    Derived from an object by itself; not dependent on changing circumstances or relations.
  14. 14
    Characterized by the existence or presence of distinguishing qualities or features, rather than by their absence.
  15. 15
    Characterized by the presence of features which support a hypothesis.
  16. 16
    Confirmed, straight-up.
  17. 17
    Of a visual image, true to the original in light, shade and colour values.
  18. 18
    Favorable, desirable by those interested or invested in that which is being judged.
  19. 19
    Wholly what is expressed; colloquially downright, entire, outright.
  20. 20
    Optimistic.
  21. 21
    electropositive
  22. 22
    basic; metallic; not acid; opposed to negative, and said of metals, bases, and basic radicals.
  23. 23
    HIV positive.
  24. 24
    Good, desirable, healthful, pleasant, enjoyable.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. In laws, that which is natural bindeth universally; that which is positive, not so.
  2. Positive words, that he would not bear arms against King Edward’s son.

Etymology

From Old French positif, from Latin positivus, from the past participle stem of ponere (“to place”). Compare posit.

This word in other languages

positivo(Español)positif(Français)positiv(Deutsch)positivo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • opsitive
  • poistive
  • posiitve
  • positiev
  • positivve
  • posittive
  • positvie
  • possitive
  • postiive
  • ppositive
  • psoitive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of positive - 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.

opsitive2poistive2posiitve2positiev2positivve1posittive1positvie2possitive1
Edit distance from "positive"

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 "positive"?
"positive" is spelled P-O-S-I-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈpɑzɪtɪv/.
What does "positive" mean?
As an adjective, "positive" means: Included, present, characterized by affirmation.
What words are commonly confused with "positive"?
"positive" is commonly confused with "punitive", "positively", "position". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "positive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "positive" is /ˈpɑzɪtɪv/. 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 "positive"?
From Old French positif, from Latin positivus, from the past participle stem of ponere (“to place”). Compare posit. 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 "positive", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

consider#1,101reported#1,096previous#1,093computer#1,136

Similar misspelling depth

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

contact11 variantssection11 variantsquickly11 variantsNumbers11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list