Which to use
“stay” and “stop” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #473
- “stay” frequency rank
- #283
- “stop” frequency rank
- 756
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stay | stop |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide. | To cease moving. |
Where the eye mixes stay and stop
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. stay (/steɪ/) and stop (/stɒp/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 756, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stay is recorded at frequency rank #473, classified as averb, pronounced /steɪ/. stop is at rank #283, tagged as averb, pronounced /stɒp/.
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 756, this pair ranks #528,853 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stay vs stop
Shared letters: st. Private to "stay": ay. Private to "stop": op.
"stay" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "stop" · 4 letters · shape CCVC