stanch
/stɔn(t)ʃ/verb, noun
stanch is spelled S-T-A-N-C-H: 6 letters and one syllable. It appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 102,771st most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). People search “stanch vs staunch” about 590 times a month (Google, United States). As a verb, stanch means “To stop the flow of (water or some other liquid)” (English Wiktionary, September 2026).
How many letters and syllables are in stanch?
| Letters | 6: S-T-A-N-C-H |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 1 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 12 million words; the 102,771st most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
| Pairs people search | |
| Same letters |
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); Bing searches in the United States: the average month from September 2025 to August 2026 (Microsoft Advertising keyword data through DataForSEO, read September 30, 2026); rhymes and same-letter words are computed by PlainSpell from its own word list.
How common is stanch?
Stanch appears about once in every 12 million words in written English, the 102,771st 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 stanch?
- UK /stɑːn(t)ʃ/
- UK /stæn(t)ʃ/
- US /stɔn(t)ʃ/
Stanch 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-stanch.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Words people confuse with stanch
Word pairs people search, with the monthly searches for “a vs b” (G: Google, B: Bing, United States).
Also written: staunch.
Sources: Google and Bing searches (September 2025 to August 2026, through DataForSEO); English Wiktionary (homophones, alternative spellings).
What rhymes with stanch?
No other word on PlainSpell ends in the same sounds as stanch (/ɔnʃ/).
Spelled with the same letters in another order: snatch.
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 stanch
- more stanch comparative
- most stanch superlative
- stanches present, singular, he/she/it, plural
- stanching participle, present
- stanched participle, past, singular, he/she/it, plural
- staunch
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stanch mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
verb
- 1
USTo stop the flow of (water or some other liquid).
- 2
USTo stop the flow of (blood); also, to stop (a wound) from bleeding.
A small amount of cotton can be stuffed into the nose to stanch the flow of blood if necessary.
- 3
USTo make (a building or other structure) watertight or weatherproof.
- 4
USTo check or stop, or deter (an action).
- 5
USTo stop the progression of (an illness); also, to alleviate (pain); often followed by of: to relieve (someone's) pain.
- 6
USobsoleteTo extinguish or put out (as a fire, anger, etc.); also, to quench or satisfy (as desire, hunger, thirst, etc.).
- 7
USOf bleeding: to stop.
- 8
USobsoleteOf an occurrence or other thing: to come to an end; to cease; also, of persons: to stop acting violently.
noun
- 1
USA floodgate by which water is accumulated, for floating a boat over a shallow part of a stream by its release; also, a dam or lock in a river.
- 2
USAlternative spelling of staunch (“that which stanches; act of stanching”).
adverb
- 1
obsoletePossibly strictly.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stanch in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
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.