stagger

/ˈstæɡə/

//ˈstæɡə// noun

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

"stagger" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stagger” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #36,347 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#36,347
frequency rank, English
7
letters
9
tracked misspellings
13
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

stagger vs starter
71% similar
stagger vs stalker
71% similar
stagger vs swagger
86% similar

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

Key facts for stagger
PropertyValue
Headwordstagger
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstæɡə/
Letters7
Frequency rank#36,347
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs13
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stagger” 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). stagger lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for stagger is 7 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈstæɡə/. Corpus data places it at rank #36,347 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for stagger, with forms such as "satgger", "sstagger", and "stagegr". 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 13 confusable-pair relationships, "starter", "stalker", "swagger", 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 stakeren, from Old Norse stakra (“to push, stagger”). Cognate with dialectal Danish stagre. The correct English form is stagger, spelled S-T-A-G-G-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion.
  2. 2
    A disease of horses and other animals, attended by reeling, unsteady gait or sudden falling.
  3. 3
    Bewilderment; perplexity.
  4. 4
    The spacing out of various actions over time.
  5. 5
    The difference in circumference between the left and right tires on a racing vehicle. It is used on oval tracks to make the car turn better in the corners.
  6. 6
    The horizontal positioning of a biplane, triplane, or multiplane's wings in relation to one another.

Etymology

From Middle English stakeren, from Old Norse stakra (“to push, stagger”). Cognate with dialectal Danish stagre.

This word in other languages

tambaleo(Español)vaciller(Français)Schwanken(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: satgger,sstagger,stagegr,stager,staggerr,staggre,stgager,sttagger,tsagger

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stagger - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

satgger2sstagger1stagegr2stager1staggerr1staggre2stgager2sttagger1
Edit distance from "stagger"

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "stagger"?
"stagger" is spelled S-T-A-G-G-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstæɡə/.
What does "stagger" mean?
As a noun, "stagger" means: An unsteady movement of the body in walking or standing as if one were about to fall; a reeling motion.
What words are commonly confused with "stagger"?
"stagger" is commonly confused with "starter", "stalker", "swagger". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stagger"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stagger" is /ˈstæɡə/. 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 "stagger"?
From Middle English stakeren, from Old Norse stakra (“to push, stagger”). Cognate with dialectal Danish stagre. 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.

Using “stagger”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-A-G-G-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈstæɡə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “starter” - see the side-by-side comparison. stagger vs starter
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list