Which to use
“stay” and “stun” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #473
- “stay” frequency rank
- #17,969
- “stun” frequency rank
- 18442
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stay | stun |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To remain in a particular place, especially for a definite or short period of time; sojourn; abide. | To incapacitate; especially by inducing disorientation or unconsciousness. |
Where the eye mixes stay and stun
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses stay with stun
A purely visual mix-up. stay (/steɪ/) and stun (/stʌn/) 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 18442, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stay is recorded at frequency rank #473, classified as averb, pronounced /steɪ/. stun is at rank #17,969, tagged as averb, pronounced /stʌn/.
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 18442, this pair ranks #444,883 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stay vs stun
Shared letters: st. Private to "stay": ay. Private to "stun": nu.
"stay" · 4 letters · shape CCVV · "stun" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "stay" for "stun" ever safe?
Frequency check: "stay" vs "stun" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "stay" and "stun" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "stay" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stun" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #444,883 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stay" and "stun" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stun vs Styx". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #444,883 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.