subjunctive

/səbˈd͡ʒʌŋktɪv/

//səbˈd͡ʒʌŋktɪv// adj

"subjunctive" is a 11-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“subjunctive” is uncommon English (frequency #50,251 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#50,251
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Inflected to indicate that an act or state of being is possible, contingent or hypothetical, and not a fact.

Key facts for subjunctive
PropertyValue
Headwordsubjunctive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/səbˈd͡ʒʌŋktɪv/
Letters11
Frequency rank#50,251
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “subjunctive” 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). subjunctive lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

subjunctive is uncommon English at frequency #50,251 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /səbˈd͡ʒʌŋktɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "Inflected to indicate that an act or state of being is possible, contingent or hypothetical, and not a fact.".

subjunctive doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin subjunctīvus (“serving to join, connecting, in grammar applies to the subjunctive mode”), from subjungere (“to add, join, subjoin”), from sub (“under”) + jungere (“to join, yoke”). See join. The correct English form is subjunctive, spelled S-U-B-J-U-N-C-T-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Inflected to indicate that an act or state of being is possible, contingent or hypothetical, and not a fact.

Etymology

From Latin subjunctīvus (“serving to join, connecting, in grammar applies to the subjunctive mode”), from subjungere (“to add, join, subjoin”), from sub (“under”) + jungere (“to join, yoke”). See join.

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

How do you spell "subjunctive"?
"subjunctive" is spelled S-U-B-J-U-N-C-T-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səbˈd͡ʒʌŋktɪv/.
What does "subjunctive" mean?
As an adjective, "subjunctive" means: Inflected to indicate that an act or state of being is possible, contingent or hypothetical, and not a fact.
How do you pronounce "subjunctive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "subjunctive" is /səbˈd͡ʒʌŋktɪv/. 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 "subjunctive"?
From Latin subjunctīvus (“serving to join, connecting, in grammar applies to the subjunctive mode”), from subjungere (“to add, join, subjoin”), from sub (“under”) + jungere (“to join, yoke”). See join. 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 “subjunctive”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-B-J-U-N-C-T-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /səbˈd͡ʒʌŋktɪv/ (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

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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