# salve vs stale

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### salve
*noun · IPA /sɑːv/ · frequency rank #36,747*
An ointment, cream, or balm with soothing, healing, or calming effects.

### stale
*adjective · IPA /steɪl/ · frequency rank #16,589*
Clear, free of dregs and lees; old and strong.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/salve-vs-stale