suppletive
/səˈpliː.tɪv/
"suppletive" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“suppletive” is uncommon English (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- Unranked
- below top-frequency English
- 10
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Making up for deficiencies; supplementary; suppletory.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | suppletive |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /səˈpliː.tɪv/ |
| Letters | 10 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “suppletive” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
suppletive is uncommon English outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed /səˈpliː.tɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for suppletive in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, a sign it's visually distinctive enough not to be mixed up with another word.
Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Late Latin suppletīvus. The correct English form is suppletive, spelled S-U-P-P-L-E-T-I-V-E.
Definition
- 1Making up for deficiencies; supplementary; suppletory.
- 2Supplying an etymologically unrelated word with forms, or which is used as one of its forms, by suppletion (for example, in English, better and best are suppletive forms of good).
- 3Relating to laws which can apply in a contract if the parties choose to agree to this.
Etymology
Borrowed from Late Latin suppletīvus.
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). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Using “suppletive”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-U-P-P-L-E-T-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /səˈpliː.tɪv/ (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.