stall
/stɔːl/noun, verb
stall is spelled S-T-A-L-L: 5 letters and one syllable. It appears 6.2 times per million words in written English, the 9,735th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, stall means “A compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of stall is stalls.
How many letters and syllables are in stall?
| Letters | 5: S-T-A-L-L |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | 6.2 times per million words; the 9,735th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Rhymes with |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is stall?
Stall appears 6.2 times per million words in written English, the 9,735th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce stall?
- UK /stɔːl/
- /stoːl/
- /stɔl/
Stall has one syllable (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-stall.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with stall
Also written: stall off.
Sources: English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with stall?
The 12 most written words on PlainSpell end in the same sounds as stall from its last stressed vowel (/ɔl/, British pronunciation):
Computed by PlainSpell from the pronunciations in the English Wiktionary (dump of September 2, 2026): a rhyme shares every sound from the last stressed vowel to the end; ordered by written frequency (wordfreq 3.1).
Forms of stall
- stalls plural, present, singular, he/she/it
- stalling participle, present
- stalled participle, past
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stall mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A compartment for a single animal in a stable or cattle shed.
- 2
A stable; a place for cattle.
- 3
A bench or table on which small articles of merchandise are exposed for sale.
- 4
A small open-fronted shop, for example in a market, food court, etc.
- 5
A small partitioned space or roomlet used for a shower or a toilet.
- 6
A seat in a theatre close to and (about) level with the stage; traditionally, a seat with arms, or otherwise partly enclosed, as distinguished from the benches, sofas, etc.
- 7
An Heathen altar, typically an indoor one, as contrasted with a more substantial outdoor harrow.
- 8
A seat in a church, especially one next to the chancel or choir, reserved for church officials and dignitaries.
- 9
An action that is intended to cause, or actually causes, delay.
His encounters with security, reception, the secretary, and the assistant were all stalls until the general manager's attorney arrived.
- 10
Loss of lift due to an airfoil's critical angle of attack being exceeded, normally occurring due to low airspeed.
verb
- 1
To put (an animal, etc.) in a stall.
to stall an ox
- 2
To fatten.
to stall cattle
- 3
obsoleteTo live in, or as if in, a stall; to dwell.
- 4
To place in an office with the customary formalities; to install.
- 5
To forestall; to anticipate.
- 6
To keep close; to keep secret.
- 7
To employ delaying tactics against.
He stalled the creditors as long as he could.
- 8
To employ delaying tactics; to stall for time.
Soon it became clear that she was stalling to give him time to get away.
- 9
To come to a standstill.
- 10
To cause to stop making progress; to hinder; to slow down; to delay or forestall.
- 11
To exceed the critical angle of attack, resulting in loss of lift.
- 12
To cause to exceed the critical angle of attack, resulting in loss of lift.
The pilot stalled the plane by pulling the nose up too high at a slow airspeed.
- 13
To plunge into mire or snow so as not to be able to get on; to set; to fix.
to stall a cart
- 14
To stop suddenly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stall in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | stalle, logette , étable , étal , stand , engraisser |
| German | Stall , Theke , Stand, Bude , Kabine , stallen |
| Portuguese | baia, boxe , estábulo , estande, banca , box |
| Spanish | compartimento, compartimiento, casilla , establo, establía , puesto |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does stall come from?
From Middle English stall, stalle, from Old English steall (“standing place, position”), from Proto-Germanic *stallaz, from Proto-Indo-European *stel- (“to place, put, post, stand”). Cognate with French étal, Italian stallo, German Stall, Swedish stall.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).