reflective
/ɹɪˈflɛktɪv/adjective, noun
reflective is spelled R-E-F-L-E-C-T-I-V-E: 10 letters and 3 syllables. It appears 3.8 times per million words in written English, the 13,321st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As an adjective, reflective means “That reflects, or redirects back to the source” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in reflective?
| Letters | 10: R-E-F-L-E-C-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 3.8 times per million words; the 13,321st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
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).
How common is reflective?
Reflective appears 3.8 times per million words in written English, the 13,321st 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 reflective?
- /ɹɪˈflɛktɪv/
Reflective 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-reflective.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of reflective
- more reflective comparative
- most reflective superlative
- reflectives plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does reflective mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
adjective
- 1
That reflects, or redirects back to the source.
Mirrors are reflective.
- 2
Pondering, especially thinking back on the past.
He always becomes reflective in preparation for the new year.
- 3
That reveals or shows; revealing; indicative of.
- 4
Involving reflection.
- 5
By means of reflection.
- 6
Reciprocal.
noun
- 1
A supposed organ of the brain, dealing with abstract reasoning.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Reflective in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| Portuguese | reflexivo |
| Spanish | reflexivo, reflectante |
| French | réflectif |
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 reflective come from?
From reflect + -ive.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).