# stanza

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈstænzə/ · frequency rank #28,741

## Definitions
1. A unit of a poem, written or printed as a paragraph; equivalent to a verse.
2. An apartment or division in a building.
3. An XML element which acts as basic unit of meaning in XMPP.
4. A section of a configuration file consisting of a related group of lines.
5. A segment; a portion of a broadcast devoted to a particular topic.
6. A period; an interval into which a sporting event is divided.

## Etymology
From Italian stanza, from Vulgar Latin *stantia (“standing, stopping-place”), from Latin stāns, stantis, from stō, stāre, from Proto-Italic *staēō, from Proto-Indo-European *sth₂éh₁yeti, stative verb from *steh₂- (whence English stand). Doublet of stance.

## Easily confused with
- **stan** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stan-vs-stanza)
- **stand** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stand-vs-stanza)
- **Santa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/santa-vs-stanza)
- **stank** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stank-vs-stanza)
- **Sanaa** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sanaa-vs-stanza)
- **Shana** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/shana-vs-stanza)
- **stands** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stands-vs-stanza)
- **stance** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stance-vs-stanza)
- **stadia** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stadia-vs-stanza)

## Common misspellings (9)
`satnza`, `sstanza`, `stanaz`, `stannza`, `stanzza`, `stazna`, `stnaza`, `sttanza`, `tsanza`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/stanza