tentative
ten·ta·tive/ˈtɛntətɪv/noun, adjective
tentative is spelled T-E-N-T-A-T-I-V-E: 9 letters and 3 syllables (ten·ta·tive). It appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, tentative means “A trial; an experiment; an attempt” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of tentative is tentatives.
How many letters and syllables are in tentative?
| Letters | 9: T-E-N-T-A-T-I-V-E |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 3: ten·ta·tive |
| In writing | 2.8 times per million words; the 16,005th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Same letters |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is tentative?
Tentative appears 2.8 times per million words in written English, the 16,005th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce tentative?
- /ˈtɛntətɪv/
- /ˈtɛntəʔɪf/
- /ˈtɛntəhɪf/
Tentative has 3 syllables, split ten·ta·tive in writing.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-tentative.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
What rhymes with tentative?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as tentative.
Spelled with the same letters in another order: attentive.
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of tentative
- tentatives plural
- more tentative comparative
- most tentative superlative
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does tentative mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A trial; an experiment; an attempt.
- 2
A schedule for an event or a programme.
adjective
- 1
Of or pertaining to a trial or trials; essaying; experimental.
- 2
Uncertain; subject to future change.
He gave a tentative answer, unsure of the final outcome.
- 3
Restrained; polite; feeling one's way, not using full force.
Her tentative steps showed her nervousness as she entered the room.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
How do you abbreviate tentative?
Wiktionary records one abbreviation of tentative: tent..
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Tentative in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| German | vorläufig, Versuchs-, experimentell, provisorisch, probierend, Probe- |
| Portuguese | experimental , provisório |
| Spanish | tentativo, provisional, experimental, de tanteo , provisorio |
| French | provisoire, approximatif |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does tentative come from?
From Medieval Latin tentātīvus (“trying, testing”), from tentō, past participle tentātus (“to try, test”); see tent, tempt.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).