How to spell definite

hear itdef·i·nite/'dɛfənɪt/adjectiveAcademic

What it means: Certain, clear, and not likely to change.

In a sentence: The answer to the question is definite.

The part people get wrong

Watch for an unstressed vowel that is hard to hear. Often misspelled as definate or definete.

Same family: definitely, definition, define, defining, indefinite. If you can spell one, the shared part carries to the others.

Where it comes from: “Definite” comes from Latin *definitus*, meaning ‘set within limits’ or ‘exactly bounded.’ It’s closely related to the word “definition,” which also comes from the idea of clearly setting the limits of a meaning.

Patterns it uses: The unstressed vowel (schwa)

Try spelling it

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