stab

/stæb/

//stæb// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"stab" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stab” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,965. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,965
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stab · stab · English

stab · rank #9,965 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,965
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH splitting

Nearest frequency peer: splitting (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “stab”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “stab” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

stab vs sub
50% similar
stab vs STD
0% similar
stab vs STR
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for stab
PropertyValue
Headwordstab
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stæb/
Letters4
Frequency rank#9,965
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stab” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).stab lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around stab (IPA /stæb/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,965 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for stab, with forms such as "satb", "sstab", and "stabb". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sub", "STD", "STR", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: First attested in Scottish English (compare Scots stob, stobbe, stabb (“a pointed stick or stake; a thrust with a pointed weapon”)), from Middle English stabbe (“a stab”), probably a variant of Middle English stob, stub, stubbe (“pointed stick, stake, thorn… The correct English form is stab, spelled S-T-A-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object.
  2. 2
    A wound made by stabbing.
  3. 3
    Pain inflicted on a person's feelings.
  4. 4
    An attempt.
  5. 5
    Criticism.
  6. 6
    A single staccato chord that adds dramatic impact to a composition.
  7. 7
    A bacterial culture made by inoculating a solid medium, such as gelatin, with the puncture of a needle or wire.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how stab appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. A knife was flashing in his hand, and just as he was about to take a stab at me, the smith grabbed his arm from behind.
  2. I opened the man's linen robe, and there over his heart was a dagger-wound, and beneath the woman's fair breast was a like cruel stab, through which her life had ebbed away.

Etymology

First attested in Scottish English (compare Scots stob, stobbe, stabb (“a pointed stick or stake; a thrust with a pointed weapon”)), from Middle English stabbe (“a stab”), probably a variant of Middle English stob, stub, stubbe (“pointed stick, stake, thorn, stub, stump”), from Old Norse stobbi, stubbi, cognate with Old English stybb. Cognate with Middle Dutch stobbe. Supposed by some to derive from Scottish Gaelic stob (“to prick, to prod, to push, to thrust”); supposed by others to be from a Scots word.

This word in other languages

puñalada(Español)percée(Français)Stich(Deutsch)punhalada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • satb
  • sstab
  • stabb
  • stba
  • sttab
  • tsab

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stab - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

satb2sstab1stabb1stba2sttab1tsab2
Edit distance from "stab"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "stab"?
"stab" is spelled S-T-A-B. The IPA pronunciation is /stæb/.
What does "stab" mean?
As a noun, "stab" means: An act of stabbing or thrusting with an object.
What words are commonly confused with "stab"?
"stab" is commonly confused with "sub", "STD", "STR". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stab"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stab" is /stæb/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "stab"?
First attested in Scottish English (compare Scots stob, stobbe, stabb (“a pointed stick or stake; a thrust with a pointed weapon”)), from Middle English stabbe (“a stab”), probably a variant of Middle English stob, stub, stubbe (“pointed stick, st... See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "stab", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Sims#9,958prom#9,941Pitt#9,938chop#10,009

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

omega6 variantsCarrie6 variantsCody6 variantskits6 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "stab". Here's where to go from here.

  • "stab" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "sub". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #9,965 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list