# start vs stays

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

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

### stays
*noun · IPA /steɪz/ · frequency rank #4,635*
plural of stay

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