# stifle vs strife

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### stifle
*verb · IPA /ˈstaɪfl̩/ · frequency rank #29,104*
To make (an animal or person) unconscious or cause (an animal or person) to die by preventing breathing; to smother, to suffocate.

### strife
*noun · IPA /stɹaɪf/ · frequency rank #17,254*
Striving; earnest endeavor; hard work.

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