radioactive
/ˌɹeɪdiəʊˈaktɪv/
"radioactive" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“radioactive” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,916. The variants make it a useful spelling check.
- #10,916
- frequency rank, English
- 21,470
- “R” headwords
- 15
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Exhibiting radioactivity.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | radioactive |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˌɹeɪdiəʊˈaktɪv/ |
| Letters | 11 |
| Frequency rank | #10,916 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “radioactive” sits in English frequency
A misspelling magnet
The generator records 15 spelling variants around radioactive (IPA /ˌɹeɪdiəʊˈaktɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,916 among 21,470 “R” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for radioactive, with forms such as "ardioactive", "raddioactive", and "radiaoctive". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Coined by Pierre Curie and Marie Curie in 1898 as French radio-actif, equivalent to English radio- + active. The correct English form is radioactive, spelled R-A-D-I-O-A-C-T-I-V-E.
Definition
- 1Exhibiting radioactivity.
- 2Dangerous and disgusting, particularly of people or ideas.
Etymology
Coined by Pierre Curie and Marie Curie in 1898 as French radio-actif, equivalent to English radio- + active.
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: ardioactive,raddioactive,radiaoctive,radioacctive,radioacitve,radioactiev,radioactivve,radioacttive,radioactvie,radioatcive,radiocative,radoiactive,raidoactive,rdaioactive,rradioactive
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of radioactive - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.
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 "radioactive"?
What does "radioactive" mean?
What are common misspellings of "radioactive"?
How do you pronounce "radioactive"?
What is the origin of the word "radioactive"?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “radioactive”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-A-D-I-O-A-C-T-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˌɹeɪdiəʊˈaktɪv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.