# start vs stave

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### start
*noun · IPA /stɑːt/ · frequency rank #248*
The beginning of an activity.

### stave
*noun · IPA /steɪv/ · frequency rank #27,656*
One of a number of narrow strips of wood, or narrow iron plates, placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel or structure; especially, one of the strips which form the sides of a cask, barrel, pail, etc.

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