stampede

/stæmˈpiːd/

//stæmˈpiːd// noun

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

"stampede" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stampede” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,598. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,598
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
12
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A wild, headlong running away or scamper of a number of animals, usually caused by fright.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stampede · stampede · English

stampede · rank #24,598 · 12 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #24,598
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 12 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Southend

Nearest frequency peer: Southend (-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 “stampede”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stampede” 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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

stampede vs swamped
75% similar
stampede vs stumped
75% similar
stampede vs stamped
88% similar

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

Key facts for stampede
PropertyValue
Headwordstampede
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stæmˈpiːd/
Letters8
Frequency rank#24,598
Misspellings tracked12
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stampede”

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).stampedelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “Southend” (#24,597), “standoff” (#24,599), “soulful” (#24,596). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stampede” is #24,598. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around stampede (IPA /stæmˈpiːd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #24,598 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 12 likely wrong-spelling variants for stampede, with forms such as "satmpede", "sstampede", and "stamepde". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "swamped", "stumped", "stamped", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Mexican Spanish estampida (“a stampede”), from Spanish estampida, estampido (“a bang, a crack (sound)”), from Old Occitan estampida, from Gothic *𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌼𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽 (*stampjan), from Proto-Germanic *stampōną (“to compress, squeeze; to… The correct English form is stampede, spelled S-T-A-M-P-E-D-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A wild, headlong running away or scamper of a number of animals, usually caused by fright.
  2. 2
    A situation in which many people in a crowd are trying to move in the same direction at the same time, especially in consequence of a panic.
  3. 3
    An event at which cowboy skills are displayed; a rodeo.
  4. 4
    A sudden unconcerted acting together of a number of persons due to, or as if due to, some common impulse.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. [T]hey saw a herd of deer reposing, who, on their appearance, rose from their recumbent position, and began to gaze warily at the strangers; then, tossing their horne, they set off on a stampede, but only swept round, and settled down not far from where they were.
  2. Then, like a stream of white bees pouring from a huge swarm, the steers stretched out from the main body. In a few moments, with astonishing rapidity, the whole herd got into motion. […] "It's a stampede, an' a hummer," said Lassiter. […] ["]That stampede will pass within a mile of us."

Etymology

The noun is derived from Mexican Spanish estampida (“a stampede”), from Spanish estampida, estampido (“a bang, a crack (sound)”), from Old Occitan estampida, from Gothic *𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌼𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽 (*stampjan), from Proto-Germanic *stampōną (“to compress, squeeze; to stamp”), from Proto-Indo-European *stembʰ- (“to trample down”). The verb is derived from the noun.

This word in other languages

estampida(Español)bousculade(Français)Stampede(Deutsch)debandada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • satmpede
  • sstampede
  • stamepde
  • stammpede
  • stampdee
  • stampedde
  • stampeed
  • stamppede
  • stapmede
  • stmapede
  • sttampede
  • tsampede

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

satmpede2sstampede1stamepde2stammpede1stampdee2stampedde1stampeed2stamppede1
Edit distance from "stampede"

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 "stampede"?
"stampede" is spelled S-T-A-M-P-E-D-E. The IPA pronunciation is /stæmˈpiːd/.
What does "stampede" mean?
As a noun, "stampede" means: A wild, headlong running away or scamper of a number of animals, usually caused by fright.
What words are commonly confused with "stampede"?
"stampede" is commonly confused with "swamped", "stumped", "stamped". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stampede"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stampede" is /stæmˈpiːd/. 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 "stampede"?
The noun is derived from Mexican Spanish estampida (“a stampede”), from Spanish estampida, estampido (“a bang, a crack (sound)”), from Old Occitan estampida, from Gothic *𐍃𐍄𐌰𐌼𐍀𐌾𐌰𐌽 (*stampjan), from Proto-Germanic *stampōną (“to compress, s... 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 "stampede", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Southend#24,597standoff#24,599skillful#24,592suitably#24,604

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (12 here; floor ≥5).

synonym12 variantstectonic12 variantstweaking12 variantsresonant12 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list