votive
/ˈvəʊ.tɪv/
"votive" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“votive” is uncommon English (frequency #50,313 among 7,391 “V” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.
- #50,313
- frequency rank, English
- 7,391
- “V” headwords
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Dedicated or given in fulfillment of a vow or pledge.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | votive |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Adjective |
| IPA | /ˈvəʊ.tɪv/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #50,313 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “votive” sits in English frequency
Rare enough to double-check
votive is uncommon English at frequency #50,313 among 7,391 “V” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈvəʊ.tɪv/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.
No generated misspelling entries exist for votive in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French votif, from Latin vōtīvus (“votive”), from vōtum (“vow”). The correct English form is votive, spelled V-O-T-I-V-E.
Definition
- 1Dedicated or given in fulfillment of a vow or pledge.
- 2Of, expressing, or symbolizing a vow. Often used to describe thick cylindrical candles found in many churches, lit when making a private vow or asking a private intention.
Etymology
From Middle French votif, from Latin vōtīvus (“votive”), from vōtum (“vow”).
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
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Using “votive”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is V-O-T-I-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈvəʊ.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
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.