# stair vs strain

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### stair
*noun · IPA /stɛɚ/ · frequency rank #20,786*
A single step in a staircase.

### strain
*noun · IPA /stɹeɪn/ · frequency rank #5,633*
Race; lineage, pedigree.

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