# staff vs stays

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### staff
*noun · IPA /stɑːf/ · frequency rank #888*
A long, straight, thick wooden rod or stick, especially one used to assist in walking.

### stays
*noun · IPA /steɪz/ · frequency rank #4,635*
plural of stay

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