Which to use
“settle” and “stole” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,847
- “settle” frequency rank
- #5,087
- “stole” frequency rank
- 8934
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | settle | stole |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To conclude or resolve (something): | simple past of steal |
Where the eye mixes settle and stole
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses settle with stole
A purely visual mix-up. settle (/ˈsɛ.təl/) and stole (/stəʊl/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 8934, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
settle is recorded at frequency rank #3,847, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈsɛ.təl/. stole is at rank #5,087, tagged as averb, pronounced /stəʊl/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 8934, this pair ranks #499,929 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of settle vs stole
Shared letters: elst. Private to "settle": -. Private to "stole": o.
"settle" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV · "stole" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "settle" and "stole" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "settle" or "stole"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "settle" and "stole" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "settle" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stole" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #499,929 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "settle" and "stole" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stole vs stover". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #499,929 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.