octave

\ɔk.tav\

/\ɔk.tav\/ noun

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

The verdict

“octave” has 8 generated spelling variants in the French index at frequency #15,698. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#15,698
frequency rank, French
75,470
“O” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Huitaine, espace de huit jours consacré, dans l’église romaine, à solenniser quelque grande fête.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

octave vs otage
67% similar
octave vs octavia
71% similar
octave vs océane
67% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for octave
PropertyValue
Headwordoctave
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\ɔk.tav\
Letters6
Frequency rank#15,698
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “octave” sits in French 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). octave lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around octave (IPA \ɔk.tav\), anoun. Corpus frequency is #15,698 among 75,470 “O” headwords. Wiktionary lists 12 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for octave, with forms such as "cotave", "ocatve", and "occtave". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "otage", "octavia", "océane", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Wiktionary doesn't record an etymology for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct French form is octave, spelled O-C-T-A-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Huitaine, espace de huit jours consacré, dans l’église romaine, à solenniser quelque grande fête.
  2. 2
    Dernier jour de l’octave, qui correspond, comme jour de la semaine, à la fête qu’on célèbre.
  3. 3
    Huitaine, durée de huit jours.
  4. 4
    Intervalle de huit degrés.
  5. 5
    Consonance que font deux notes éloignées l’une de l’autre de huit degrés, les deux extrêmes comprises.
  6. 6
    Huit notes comprises dans cet intervalle.
  7. 7
    Large intervalle entre deux éléments.
  8. 8
    Gamme, mode.
  9. 9
    Stance de huit vers employées dans la poésie italienne, espagnole et portugaise.
  10. 10
    À un niveau différent (supérieur ou inférieur).
  11. 11
    Huitième position de l’épée, que l’on tient le poignet en supination.
  12. 12
    En joaillerie c’est la huitième partie d’un marc soit 30,59 grammes, en draperie c’est la huitième partie d’une aune soit presque 14 centimètres.

This word in other languages

octave(English)octava(Español)Oktave(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • cotave
  • ocatve
  • occtave
  • octaev
  • octavve
  • octtave
  • octvae
  • otcave

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of octave - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

cotave2ocatve2occtave1octaev2octavve1octtave1octvae2otcave2
Edit distance from "octave"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "octave"?
"octave" is spelled O-C-T-A-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔk.tav\.
What does "octave" mean?
As a noun, "octave" means: Huitaine, espace de huit jours consacré, dans l’église romaine, à solenniser quelque grande fête.
What words are commonly confused with "octave"?
"octave" is commonly confused with "otage", "octavia", "océane". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "octave"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "octave" is \ɔk.tav\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "octave" come from?
"octave" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “octave”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is O-C-T-A-V-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \ɔk.tav\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “otage” - see the side-by-side comparison. octave vs otage
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words

Same frequency band

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