stage

/steɪd͡ʒ/

//steɪd͡ʒ// noun

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

"stage" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stage” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #837. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#837
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A phase.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stage · stage · English

stage · rank #837 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #837
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH serious

Nearest frequency peer: serious (-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 “stage”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “stage” 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).

stage vs stay
60% similar
stage vs star
60% similar
stage vs stan
60% similar

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

Key facts for stage
PropertyValue
Headwordstage
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/steɪd͡ʒ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#837
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stage” 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). stage lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around stage (IPA /steɪd͡ʒ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #837 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 17 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for stage, with forms such as "satge", "sstage", and "staeg". 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, "stay", "star", "stan", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stage, from Old French estage (“dwelling, residence; position, situation, condition”), from Old French ester (“to be standing, be located”). Cognate with Old English stæþþan (“to make staid, stay”), Old Norse steðja (“to place, provide, … The correct English form is stage, spelled S-T-A-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A phase.
  2. 2
    One of the portions of a device (such as a rocket or thermonuclear weapon) which are used or activated in a particular order, one after another.
  3. 3
    A platform; a surface, generally elevated, upon which show performances or other public events are given.
  4. 4
    A floor or storey of a house.
  5. 5
    A floor elevated for the convenience of mechanical work, etc.; scaffolding; staging.
  6. 6
    A platform, often floating, serving as a kind of wharf.
  7. 7
    A stagecoach, an enclosed horsedrawn carriage used to carry passengers; the service that such coaches provide; a company that operates such service.
  8. 8
    A place of rest on a regularly travelled road; a station, way station; a place appointed for a relay of horses.
  9. 9
    A degree of advancement in a journey; one of several portions into which a road or course is marked off; the distance between two places of rest on a road.
  10. 10
    The number of an electronic circuit’s block, such as a filter, an amplifier, etc.
  11. 11
    The place on a microscope where the slide is located for viewing.
  12. 12
    A level; one of the areas making up the game.
  13. 13
    A place where anything is publicly exhibited, or a remarkable affair occurs; the scene.
  14. 14
    The succession of rock strata laid down in a single age on the geologic time scale.
  15. 15
    An internship.
  16. 16
    The notional space within which stereo sounds are positioned, determining where they will appear to come from when played back.
  17. 17
    The profession of an actor.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He is in the recovery stage of his illness.
  2. Completion of an identifiable stage of maintenance such as removing an aircraft engine for repair or storage.

Etymology

From Middle English stage, from Old French estage (“dwelling, residence; position, situation, condition”), from Old French ester (“to be standing, be located”). Cognate with Old English stæþþan (“to make staid, stay”), Old Norse steðja (“to place, provide, confirm, allow”), Old English stede (“state, status, standing, place, station, site”). More at stead. Doublet of étage.

Synonyms

tierlevellevelmapareaworldtrackboardzonephase

This word in other languages

etapa(Español)étape(Français)Stufe(Deutsch)fase(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • satge
  • sstage
  • staeg
  • stagge
  • stgae
  • sttage
  • tsage

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stage - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

satge2sstage1staeg2stagge1stgae2sttage1tsage2
Edit distance from "stage"

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 "stage"?
"stage" is spelled S-T-A-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /steɪd͡ʒ/.
What does "stage" mean?
As a noun, "stage" means: A phase.
What words are commonly confused with "stage"?
"stage" is commonly confused with "stay", "star", "stan". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stage"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stage" is /steɪd͡ʒ/. 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 "stage"?
From Middle English stage, from Old French estage (“dwelling, residence; position, situation, condition”), from Old French ester (“to be standing, be located”). Cognate with Old English stæþþan (“to make staid, stay”), Old Norse steðja (“to place,... 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 "stage", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

terms#838title#839enjoy#848China#824

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

attack7 variantsblood7 variantslower7 variantsJames7 variants

What to do next

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

  • "stage" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "stay". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #837 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