Which to use
“stead” is a noun and “steady” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,826
- “stead” frequency rank
- #4,272
- “steady” frequency rank
- 27098
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stead | steady |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The position or function (of someone or something), as taken on by a successor. | Firm in standing or position; not tottering or shaking; fixed; firm. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stead and steady apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
stead and steady form a confusable pair in the English index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “stead” sits inside “steady” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stead is recorded at frequency rank #22,826, classified as anoun, pronounced /stɛd/. steady is at rank #4,272, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈstɛdi/.
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 27098, this pair ranks #381,618 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "stead" and "steady" be used interchangeably?
Remembering stead vs steady
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “stead”; for an adjective, it's “steady”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “stead” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable