# stain vs star

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### stain
*noun · IPA /steɪn/ · frequency rank #11,298*
A discolored spot or area caused by spillage or other contact with certain fluids or substances.

### star
*noun · IPA /stɑː(ɹ)/ · frequency rank #666*
Any small, natural and bright dot in the sky, most visible in the night or twilight sky. This sense includes the planets, but it is now sometimes used in exclusion of them due to influence from the technical astronomical sense.

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