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operative

/ˈɒpəɹətɪv/adjective · noun

Operative can refer to a person secretly employed in espionage for a government or someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information and assist in criminal investigations. Operative is also used as adjective, with meanings including being in force or having or exerting force.

6 meanings9 lettersScrabble 14

Length

9

Scrabble

14

WWF

16

Starts

OP

Ends

IVE

Difficulty

Hard

Dictionary

What Does “OPERATIVE” Mean?

/ˈɒpəɹətɪv/

operative has 6 documented senses across adjective, noun.

Adjective

4 senses
1

being in force or having or exerting force

operative regulations

the major tendencies operative in the American political system

2

relating to or requiring or amenable to treatment by surgery especially as opposed to medicine

a surgical appendix

a surgical procedure

operative dentistry

Synonyms

3

effective; producing a desired effect

the operative word

4

(of e.g. a machine) performing or capable of performing

in running (or working) order

a functional set of brakes

Noun

2 senses
1

a person secretly employed in espionage for a government

2

someone who can be employed as a detective to collect information and assist in criminal investigations

Scrabble Score

14

Letters

9

Vowels

5

Consonants

4

Word Intelligence

Explore the word operative with its definition, score, letter pattern, and useful word game details.

Definition

being in force or having or exerting force

Length

9 letters

Starts With

O

Ends With

E

Vowels

5

Consonants

4

Letters

O, P, E, R, A, T, I, V, E

Use Case

Useful for Scrabble, Wordle, crosswords, anagrams, and other word games.

Letter Breakdown

o
p
e
r
a
t
i
v
e

Word Facts

Key letter, score, and pattern facts for operative.

OPERATIVE is a 9-letter word.
It has a Scrabble score of 14.
It starts with O and ends with E.
It contains 5 vowels and 4 consonants.
Its vowel share is about 56%.
It has 1 repeated letter.
It is not a palindrome.
Letter pattern: ABCDEFGHC.
Vowel/consonant pattern: VCVCVCVCV.

Word Strategy

Strategy notes for using operative in Scrabble, Wordle-style games, crosswords, and anagram solving.

Scrabble Strategy

★★★★★

OPERATIVE has a Scrabble score of 14. It is useful for balancing a rack and building steady board position.

Wordle Strategy

★★☆☆☆

OPERATIVE is not five letters, so it is not a standard Wordle answer, but its letter pattern can still help with word analysis.

Crossword Strategy

★★★☆☆

OPERATIVE can be useful in crossword solving because it has a clear starting letter, ending letter, and 9-letter structure.

Anagram Strategy

★★★☆☆

OPERATIVE contains repeated letters, which can make anagram solving more constrained but also easier to pattern-match.

Letter Intelligence

A deeper look at the letter structure, patterns, and useful game signals inside operative.

Unique Letters

8

Repeated Letters

1

Highest Value Letter

V

Letter Pattern

ABCDEFGHC

CV Pattern

VCVCVCVCV

Vowel Share

56%

Consonant Share

44%

Bigrams

OP, PE, ER, RA, AT, TI, IV, VE

Trigrams

OPE, PER, ERA, RAT, ATI, TIV, IVE

Crossword Intelligence

Crossword-style clues, crossing help, and pattern notes for operative.

OPERATIVE is a 9-letter longer themed answer.
It starts with O and ends with E, which helps narrow crossword crossings.
It contains 5 vowels and 4 consonants.
Its vowel/consonant pattern is VCVCVCVCV.
Crossword difficulty estimate: Hard.

Related Words

Word Usage Insights

Practical observations about how this word performs in different word games and puzzle situations.

This word contains 9 letters and is suitable for medium-length word games.
Its consonant/vowel pattern is VCVCVCVCV, making it relatively easy to recognize.
With a Scrabble score of 14, it offers strong scoring potential.
The word begins with O and ends with E, making it useful for solving pattern-based puzzles.
Some letters repeat, which can be useful when identifying anagrams.

Word Intelligence Links

Explore word lists connected to OPERATIVE by length, score, vowels, consonants, starting letters, ending letters, and word game tools.

Word Family

Explore words that share a similar beginning or root pattern with operative.

Related Word Tools

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