# platform

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈplætfɔːm/ · frequency rank #2,170

## Definitions
1. A raised stage from which speeches are made and on which musical and other performances are made.
2. A raised floor for any purpose, e.g. for workmen during construction, or formerly for military cannon.
3. A place or an opportunity to express one's opinion.
4. Something that allows an enterprise to advance.
5. A political stance on a broad set of issues, which are called planks.
6. A raised structure or other area alongside rails or a driveway alongside which vehicles stop to take in and discharge passengers.
7. Ellipsis of platform shoe (“a kind of high shoe with an extra layer between the inner and outer soles”).
8. A software system used to provide online services to clients, such as social media, e-commerce, or cloud computing.
9. A particular operating system or environment such as a database or other specific software; a particular type of computer or microprocessor, used for running other software.
10. Ellipsis of car platform (“a set of components shared by several vehicle models”).
11. A flat expanse of rock, often the result of wave erosion.
12. A light deck, usually placed in a section of the hold or over the floor of the magazine.
13. A plan; a sketch; a model; a pattern.
14. A sidewalk.

## Etymology
From Middle French plateforme (“a flat form”), from plate (“flat”) (from Old French plat, from Ancient Greek πλατύς (platús, “flat”)) + forme (“form”) (from Latin fōrma (“shape; figure; form”)); compare flatscape.

## Easily confused with
- **platformer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/platform-vs-platformer)

## Common misspellings (13)
`lpatform`, `paltform`, `plaftorm`, `platfform`, `platfomr`, `platformm`, `platforrm`, `platfrom`, `platofrm`, `plattform`, `pllatform`, `pltaform`, `pplatform`

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