starchy

Name: starchy, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈstɑɹt͡ʃi/

//ˈstɑɹt͡ʃi// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“starchy” has 12 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,071. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,071
frequency rank, English: 6,566
“S” headwords: 12
tracked misspellings: 6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of or pertaining to starch.

Corpus desk

Index EN-starchy · starchy · English

starchy · rank #49,071 · 12 variants · 6 confusables

FREQ-MID #49,071
LEN-LONG 7 letters
VOW-2 2 vowels
CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
VAR-MID 12 variants
BOOK-DENSE 6,566
PHOTO-FINISH staph

Nearest frequency peer: staph (-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.

Stansted

50,932
staph

50,931
starchy

50,930
statuary

50,929
stereoscopic

50,928
stoneware

50,926

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

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

starchy vs starry

71% similar

starchy vs starkly

71% similar

starchy vs Stacy

57% similar

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

Key facts for starchy
Property	Value
Headword	starchy
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈstɑɹt͡ʃi/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#49,071
Misspellings tracked	12
Confusable pairs	6
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “starchy”

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).starchylands here:

#49,071

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “staph” (#49,070), “statuary” (#49,072), “Stansted” (#49,069). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “starchy” is #49,071. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 12 spelling variants around starchy (IPA /ˈstɑɹt͡ʃi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #49,071 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 starchy, with forms such as "satrchy", "sstarchy", and "stacrhy". 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. It also participates in 6 confusable-pair relationships, "starry", "starkly", "Stacy", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From starch + -y. The correct English form is starchy, spelled S-T-A-R-C-H-Y.

Definition

1
Of or pertaining to starch.
2
Containing starch.
3
Having the quality of fabric starch as applied to fabric; stiff, hard; starched.
4
Having a starched personality; stiffly formal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

Beds were made, the dinner-table set, and then we got into our very starchiest and most uncomfortable clothes for church.

Etymology

From starch + -y.

This word in other languages

feculento(Español)féculent(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

satrchy
sstarchy
stacrhy
starcchy
starchhy
starchyy
starcyh
starhcy
starrchy
strachy
sttarchy
tsarchy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "starchy"

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 "starchy"?

"starchy" is spelled S-T-A-R-C-H-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɑɹt͡ʃi/.

What does "starchy" mean?

As an adjective, "starchy" means: Of or pertaining to starch.

What words are commonly confused with "starchy"?

"starchy" is commonly confused with "starry", "starkly", "Stacy". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "starchy"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "starchy" is /ˈstɑɹt͡ʃi/. 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 "starchy"?

From starch + -y. 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 "starchy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sprayer#49,066 smudged#49,053 skydive#49,050 twitchy#49,113

Similar misspelling depth

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

statuary12 variants subreddit12 variants southpaw12 variants symbiote12 variants