responsive

/ɹɪˈspɒn.sɪv/

//ɹɪˈspɒn.sɪv// adj

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

"responsive" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“responsive” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #11,280 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#11,280
frequency rank, English
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Answering, replying or responding

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

responsive vs response
80% similar
responsive vs responsible
82% similar

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

Key facts for responsive
PropertyValue
Headwordresponsive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ɹɪˈspɒn.sɪv/
Letters10
Frequency rank#11,280
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “responsive” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). responsive lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for responsive is 10 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ɹɪˈspɒn.sɪv/. Corpus data places it at rank #11,280 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for responsive, with forms such as "ersponsive", "repsonsive", and "resopnsive". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "response", "responsible", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French responsif, from Late Latin responsivus. The correct English form is responsive, spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Answering, replying or responding
  2. 2
    Able to receive and respond to external stimuli.
  3. 3
    Using antiphons; antiphonal.
  4. 4
    Susceptible to the feelings of others.
  5. 5
    Automatically resizing and repositioning elements to fit the available space.
  6. 6
    Suited to something else; correspondent.
  7. 7
    Responsible.

Etymology

From Middle French responsif, from Late Latin responsivus.

Antonyms

nonresponsiveunresponsive

This word in other languages

contestador(Español)sensible(Français)ansprechbar(Deutsch)sensível(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: ersponsive,repsonsive,resopnsive,respnosive,responisve,responnsive,responsiev,responsivve,responssive,responsvie,resposnive,respponsive,ressponsive,rresponsive,rseponsive

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

ersponsive2repsonsive2resopnsive2respnosive2responisve2responnsive1responsiev2responsivve1
Edit distance from "responsive"

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 "responsive"?
"responsive" is spelled R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ɹɪˈspɒn.sɪv/.
What does "responsive" mean?
As an adjective, "responsive" means: Answering, replying or responding
What words are commonly confused with "responsive"?
"responsive" is commonly confused with "response", "responsible". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "responsive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "responsive" is /ɹɪˈspɒn.sɪv/. 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 "responsive"?
From Middle French responsif, from Late Latin responsivus. 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.

Using “responsive”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is R-E-S-P-O-N-S-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ɹɪˈspɒn.sɪv/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “response” - see the side-by-side comparison. responsive vs response
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list