stalemate

/ˈsteɪlmeɪt/

//ˈsteɪlmeɪt// noun

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

"stalemate" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stalemate” has 13 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #27,655. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#27,655
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
13
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stalemate · stalemate · English

stalemate · rank #27,655 · 13 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #27,655
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 13 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH squishy

Nearest frequency peer: squishy (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “stalemate”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “stalemate” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for stalemate
PropertyValue
Headwordstalemate
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsteɪlmeɪt/
Letters9
Frequency rank#27,655
Misspellings tracked13
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stalemate”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).stalematelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “squishy” (#27,654), “stave” (#27,656), “spewing” (#27,653). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stalemate” is #27,655. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 13 spelling variants around stalemate (IPA /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #27,655 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 13 likely wrong-spelling variants for stalemate, with forms such as "satlemate", "sstalemate", and "staelmate". 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. Our dataset records no confusable match here, which usually means its spelling is distinct enough that readers don't reach for a similar-looking word instead.

Etymologically, the entry records: From stale + mate. The correct English form is stalemate, spelled S-T-A-L-E-M-A-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw.
  2. 2
    Any situation that has no obvious possible movement, but involves no personal loss.
  3. 3
    Any kind of match in which neither contestant laid claim to victory; a draw.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The game is drawn when the player to move has no legal move and his/her king is not in check. The game is said to end in ‘stalemate’. This immediately ends the game, provided that the move producing the stalemate position was in accordance with Article 3 and Articles 4.2 – 4.7.
  2. Indian military analysts said the situation was heading into a dangerous stalemate. Neither side wants to start a war. But neither side wants to back down either.

Etymology

From stale + mate.

This word in other languages

ahogado(Español)pat(Français)Patt(Deutsch)afogamento(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • satlemate
  • sstalemate
  • staelmate
  • staleamte
  • stalemaet
  • stalematte
  • stalemmate
  • stalemtae
  • stallemate
  • stalmeate
  • stlaemate
  • sttalemate
  • tsalemate

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stalemate - 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.

satlemate2sstalemate1staelmate2staleamte2stalemaet2stalematte1stalemmate1stalemtae2
Edit distance from "stalemate"

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 "stalemate"?
"stalemate" is spelled S-T-A-L-E-M-A-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/.
What does "stalemate" mean?
As a noun, "stalemate" means: The state in which the player to move is not in check but has no legal moves, resulting in a draw.
What are common misspellings of "stalemate"?
Common misspellings include "satlemate", "sstalemate", "staelmate", "staleamte", "stalemaet". The correct spelling is "stalemate".
How do you pronounce "stalemate"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stalemate" is /ˈsteɪlmeɪt/. 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 "stalemate"?
From stale + mate. 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 "stalemate", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

streetcar#27,662smoothing#27,645supremely#27,666symbolize#27,670

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (13 here; floor ≥5).

stinking13 variantsstrangle13 variantsstringer13 variantsTarantino13 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list