# starfish

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈstɑː(ɹ)fɪʃ/ · frequency rank #29,103

## Definitions
1. Any of various echinoderms (not in fact fish) with usually five arms, many of which eat bivalves or corals by everting their stomach.
2. Any many-armed or tentacled sea invertebrate, whether cnidarian, echinoderm, or cephalopod.
3. A woman (or, less commonly, a gay man) who reluctantly takes part in sexual intercourse, and lies on the back while spreading the limbs.
4. The anus.

## Etymology
From star + fish.

## Easily confused with
- **standish** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/standish-vs-starfish)

## Common misspellings (13)
`satrfish`, `sstarfish`, `stafrish`, `starffish`, `starfihs`, `starfishh`, `starfissh`, `starfsih`, `starifsh`, `starrfish`, `strafish`, `sttarfish`, `tsarfish`

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