# staph vs stay

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### staph
*noun · IPA /stæf/ · frequency rank #49,070*
Staphylococcus bacteria and the infection it causes.

### stay
*verb · IPA /steɪ/ · frequency rank #473*
To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide.

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