reactive
/ɹiˈæktɪv/adjective
reactive is spelled R-E-A-C-T-I-V-E: 8 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, reactive means “That reacts or responds to a stimulus” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in reactive?
| Letters | 8: R-E-A-C-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.5 times per million words; the 14,106th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with | |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; 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 reactive?
Reactive appears 3.5 times per million words in written English, the 14,106th 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 reactive?
- UK /ɹiːˈæktɪv/
- US /ɹiˈæktɪv/
- Australia /ɹiːˈæktɪv/
Reactive has 3 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-reactive.wav, LL-Q1860_(eng)-Qwertygiy-reactive.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with reactive?
7 words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as reactive from its last stressed vowel (/æktɪv/):
Spelled with the same letters in another order: creative.
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 reactive
- more reactive comparative
- most reactive superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does reactive mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That reacts or responds to a stimulus.
- 2
That readily takes part in reactions.
francium is the most reactive of the alkali metals.
- 3
Characterized by induction or capacitance rather than resistance.
- 4
Reacting to the past rather than anticipating the future, not predictive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Reactive in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense (in chemistry) able to react:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Spanish | reactivo |
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 reactive come from?
From react + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).