starchy
/ˈstɑɹt͡ʃi/
"starchy" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“starchy” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #49,071 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.
- #49,071
- frequency rank, English
- 7
- letters
- 12
- tracked misspellings
- 6
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Of or pertaining to starch.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| 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) |
Where “starchy” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for starchy is 7 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈstɑɹt͡ʃi/. Corpus data places it at rank #49,071 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 4 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
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
- 1Of or pertaining to starch.
- 2Containing starch.
- 3Having the quality of fabric starch as applied to fabric; stiff, hard; starched.
- 4Having a starched personality; stiffly formal.
Etymology
From starch + -y.
This word in other languages
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.
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"?
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Using “starchy”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-T-A-R-C-H-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈstɑɹt͡ʃi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- Don't mix it up with “starry” - see the side-by-side comparison. starchy vs starry
- Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
Data Source
Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.