# stale vs stifle

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

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

### stifle
*verb · IPA /ˈstaɪfl̩/ · frequency rank #29,104*
To make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) to die by preventing breathing; to smother, to suffocate.

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