started

[ˈstɑɹɾɪd]

/[ˈstɑɹɾɪd]/ verb

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

"started" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“started” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #405. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#405
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - simple past and past participle of start

Corpus desk

Index EN-started · started · English

started · rank #405 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #405
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH several

Nearest frequency peer: several (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “started”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

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

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).

started vs state
71% similar
started vs states
71% similar
started vs stated
86% similar

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

Key facts for started
PropertyValue
Headwordstarted
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈstɑɹɾɪd]
Letters7
Frequency rank#405
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “started”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).startedlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “several” (#404), “taking” (#406), “room” (#403). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “started” is #405. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around started (IPA [ˈstɑɹɾɪd]), averb. Corpus frequency is #405 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "simple past and past participle of start".

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for started, with forms such as "satrted", "sstarted", and "staretd". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "state", "states", "stated", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct English form is started, spelled S-T-A-R-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    simple past and past participle of start

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • satrted
  • sstarted
  • staretd
  • starrted
  • startde
  • startedd
  • startted
  • statred
  • strated
  • sttarted
  • tsarted

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of started - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

satrted2sstarted1staretd2starrted1startde2startedd1startted1statred2
Edit distance from "started"

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 "started"?
"started" is spelled S-T-A-R-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈstɑɹɾɪd].
What does "started" mean?
As a verb, "started" means: simple past and past participle of start
What words are commonly confused with "started"?
"started" is commonly confused with "state", "states", "stated". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "started"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "started" is [ˈstɑɹɾɪd]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "started" come from?
"started" is a English word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
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 "started", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

several#404history#397problem#391playing#424

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

control11 variantspossible11 variantsmembers11 variantsfriends11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list