start

/stɑːt/

//stɑːt// noun

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

"start" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“start” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #248 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#248
frequency rank, English
5
letters
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The beginning of an activity.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

start vs STR
0% similar
start vs stay
60% similar
start vs stir
60% similar

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

Key facts for start
PropertyValue
Headwordstart
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stɑːt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#248
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “start” sits in English frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). start lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for start is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɑːt/. Corpus data places it at rank #248 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 8 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for start, with forms such as "satrt", "sstart", and "starrt". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "STR", "stay", "stir", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stert, from the verb sterten (“to start, startle”). See below. The correct English form is start, spelled S-T-A-R-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    The beginning of an activity.
  2. 2
    A sudden involuntary movement.
  3. 3
    The beginning point of a race, a board game, etc.
  4. 4
    An appearance in a sports game, horserace, etc., from the beginning of the event.
  5. 5
    A young plant germinated in a pot to be transplanted later.
  6. 6
    An initial advantage over somebody else; a head start.
  7. 7
    A happening or proceeding.
  8. 8
    Alternative letter-case form of Start (“a typical button for video games, originally used to start a game, now also often to pause or choose an option”)

Etymology

From Middle English stert, from the verb sterten (“to start, startle”). See below.

This word in other languages

inicio(Español)départ(Français)Beginn(Deutsch)início(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: satrt,sstart,starrt,startt,statr,sttart,tsart

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

satrt2sstart1starrt1startt1statr2sttart1tsart2
Edit distance from "start"

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 "start"?
"start" is spelled S-T-A-R-T. The IPA pronunciation is /stɑːt/.
What does "start" mean?
As a noun, "start" means: The beginning of an activity.
What words are commonly confused with "start"?
"start" is commonly confused with "STR", "stay", "stir". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "start"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "start" is /stɑːt/. 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 "start"?
From Middle English stert, from the verb sterten (“to start, startle”). See below. 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.

Using “start”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-A-R-T - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /stɑːt/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “STR” - see the side-by-side comparison. start vs STR
  • 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.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list