restive
/ˈɹɛstɪv/
"restive" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“restive” is an uncommon English word, ranked #61,770 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #61,770
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Impatient under delay, duress, or control.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | restive |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈɹɛstɪv/ |
| Letters | 7 |
| Frequency rank | #61,770 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “restive” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for restive is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈɹɛstɪv/. Corpus data places it at rank #61,770 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Zero misspellings are on record for restive in our index, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.
Etymologically, the entry records: Modification of earlier restiff, from Middle English restyf, from Old French restif, from rester (“stay, remain”), from Latin restō. * Shares an etymology with rest ("remain," obsolete) *Merriam-Webster states that this word was originally used to describe … The correct English form is restive, spelled R-E-S-T-I-V-E.
Definition
- 1Impatient under delay, duress, or control.
- 2Resistant to control; stubborn.
- 3Refusing to move, especially in a forward direction.
Etymology
Modification of earlier restiff, from Middle English restyf, from Old French restif, from rester (“stay, remain”), from Latin restō. * Shares an etymology with rest ("remain," obsolete) *Merriam-Webster states that this word was originally used to describe horses that disobeyed commands. Presumably, then, the word came to mean "fidgety" or "anxious" more broadly.
This word in other languages
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
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Using “restive”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is R-E-S-T-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈɹɛstɪv/ (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
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.