Which to use
“stoop” is a noun and “stop” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #24,326
- “stoop” frequency rank
- #283
- “stop” frequency rank
- 24609
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stoop | stop |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A stooping, bent position of the body. | To cease moving. |
Where the eye mixes stoop and stop
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: stoop vs stop
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: stoop is /stuːp/ while stop is /stɒp/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24609, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stoop is recorded at frequency rank #24,326, classified as anoun, pronounced /stuːp/. 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 24609, this pair ranks #400,721 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stoop vs stop
Shared letters: opst. Private to "stoop": -. Private to "stop": -.
"stoop" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "stop" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "stoop" and "stop" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "stoop" vs "stop" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "stoop" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stop" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #400,721 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stoop" and "stop" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stoop vs stooped". 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 #400,721 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.