suppressive

/səˈprɛ.sɪv/

//səˈprɛ.sɪv// adj

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

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

The verdict

“suppressive” is uncommon English (frequency #57,112 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#57,112
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - That serves to suppress.

Key facts for suppressive
PropertyValue
Headwordsuppressive
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/səˈprɛ.sɪv/
Letters11
Frequency rank#57,112
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “suppressive” 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). suppressive 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

suppressive is uncommon English at frequency #57,112 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /səˈprɛ.sɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "That serves to suppress.".

suppressive has no tracked misspelling variants, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From suppress + -ive. The correct English form is suppressive, spelled S-U-P-P-R-E-S-S-I-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    That serves to suppress.

Etymology

From suppress + -ive.

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 "suppressive"?
"suppressive" is spelled S-U-P-P-R-E-S-S-I-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈprɛ.sɪv/.
What does "suppressive" mean?
As an adjective, "suppressive" means: That serves to suppress.
How do you pronounce "suppressive"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "suppressive" is /səˈprɛ.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 "suppressive"?
From suppress + -ive. 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 “suppressive”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-U-P-P-R-E-S-S-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /səˈprɛ.sɪv/ (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