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” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #248. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#248
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The beginning of an activity.

Corpus desk

Index EN-start · start · English

start · rank #248 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #248
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH care

Nearest frequency peer: care (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “start”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “start” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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

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).startlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “care” (#247), “system” (#249), “business” (#246). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around start (IPA /stɑːt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #248 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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”)

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The movie was entertaining from start to finish.
  2. I see you stand like greyhounds in the slips, / Straining upon the start.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "start", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

times#250women#245group#241today#258

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

point7 variantscalled7 variantsdoing7 variantsuntil7 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "start". Here's where to go from here.

  • "start" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "STR". View pair
  • 7 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #248 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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