optatif

\ɔp.ta.tif\

/\ɔp.ta.tif\/ adj

The verdict

“optatif” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Qui exprime le souhait.

Corpus desk

Index FR-optatif · optatif · French

optatif · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "O" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Key facts for optatif
PropertyValue
Headwordoptatif
LanguageFrench
Part of speechAdjective
IPA\ɔp.ta.tif\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « optatif » en français

optatifreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

optatif is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as anadjective, transcribed \ɔp.ta.tif\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

optatif doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, and the word's spelling is regular enough that our generator found nothing worth flagging. Our dataset records no confusable match here, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, so its spelling is best read as a straightforward mapping from sound to letter. The correct French form is optatif, spelled O-P-T-A-T-I-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Qui exprime le souhait.
  2. 2
    Relatif à un mode de conjugaison de certaines langues.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how optatif appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Rien d’étonnant à ce que cet épisode capital fît encore monter la température des stratèges de province. Mais ce qui était surprenant, c’était que la personne qui parlait se fût exprimée sur ce mode optatif, comme s’il s’agissait d’une éventualité encore suspendue…
  2. Je peux remplacer chacun de ces rêves par une phrase exprimant un souhait : Oh, si cette traversée sur le lac avait tout de même pu durer plus longtemps ; -- si j'étais déjà lavé et habillé ; -- si j'avais pu garder les cerises au lieu de les donner à mon oncle ; mais le rêve donne un état optatif, il montre le souhait déjà accompli, présente cet accompli…

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

How do you spell "optatif"?
"optatif" is spelled O-P-T-A-T-I-F. The IPA pronunciation is \ɔp.ta.tif\.
What does "optatif" mean?
As an adjective, "optatif" means: Qui exprime le souhait.
How do you pronounce "optatif"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "optatif" is \ɔp.ta.tif\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "optatif" come from?
"optatif" 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list