# steal vs stem

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### steal
*verb · IPA /stiːl/ · frequency rank #3,585*
To take illegally, or without the owner's permission, something owned by someone else without intending to return it.

### stem
*noun · IPA /stɛm/ · frequency rank #4,336*
The stock of a family; a race or generation of progenitors.

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