selective

/səˈlɛktɪv/

//səˈlɛktɪv// adj

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

"selective" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“selective” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,604. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,604
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or relating to the process of selection.

Corpus desk

Index EN-selective · selective · English

selective · rank #8,604 · 13 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,604
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH scenarios

Nearest frequency peer: scenarios (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “selective”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “selective” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

selective vs selectively
82% similar
selective vs selection
78% similar
selective vs seductive
78% similar

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

Key facts for selective
PropertyValue
Headwordselective
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/səˈlɛktɪv/
Letters9
Frequency rank#8,604
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “selective”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “scenarios” (#8,603), “sadness” (#8,602), “sf” (#8,606). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “selective” is #8,604. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around selective (IPA /səˈlɛktɪv/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,604 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for selective, with forms such as "eslective", "seelctive", and "selcetive". 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 3 confusable-pair relationships, "selectively", "selection", "seductive", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct English form is selective, spelled S-E-L-E-C-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of or relating to the process of selection.
  2. 2
    Of or relating to natural selection.
  3. 3
    Choosy, fussy or discriminating when selecting.
  4. 4
    Having the authority or capability to make a selection.
  5. 5
    Of or relating to the social work approach called selectivity.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how selective appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The selective algorithm excludes the redundant classifiers to construct a streamlined ensemble learning.
  2. selective pressure

This word in other languages

sélectif(Français)selektiv(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • eslective
  • seelctive
  • selcetive
  • selecctive
  • selecitve
  • selectiev
  • selectivve
  • selecttive
  • selectvie
  • seletcive
  • sellective
  • sleective
  • sselective

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of selective - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

eslective2seelctive2selcetive2selecctive1selecitve2selectiev2selectivve1selecttive1
Edit distance from "selective"

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 "selective"?
"selective" is spelled S-E-L-E-C-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈlɛktɪv/.
What does "selective" mean?
As an adjective, "selective" means: Of or relating to the process of selection.
What words are commonly confused with "selective"?
"selective" is commonly confused with "selectively", "selection", "seductive". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "selective"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "selective" is /səˈlɛktɪv/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "selective" come from?
"selective" is a English word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "selective", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

scenarios#8,603socialism#8,608stressful#8,612stretched#8,613

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

prompted13 variantsbackyard13 variantsknocking13 variantscalculate13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list