startle

/ˈstɑːt(ə)l/

//ˈstɑːt(ə)l// verb

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

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

The verdict

“startle” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #42,422. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#42,422
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
19
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.

Corpus desk

Index EN-startle · startle · English

startle · rank #42,422 · 11 variants · 19 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #42,422
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 19 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stabilisation

Nearest frequency peer: stabilisation (-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 “startle”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “startle” 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).

startle vs state
71% similar
startle vs statue
71% similar
startle vs starve
71% similar

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

Key facts for startle
PropertyValue
Headwordstartle
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈstɑːt(ə)l/
Letters7
Frequency rank#42,422
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs19
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “startle”

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).startlelands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “stabilisation” (#42,421), “staunchly” (#42,423), “squalor” (#42,420). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “startle” is #42,422. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around startle (IPA /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/), averb. Corpus frequency is #42,422 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for startle, with forms such as "satrtle", "sstartle", and "starlte". 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 19 confusable-pair relationships, "state", "statue", "starve", 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 Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen (“to rush, stumble along”), from Old English steartlian (“to kick with the foot, struggle, stumble”), equivalent to start + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stirtla (“to hobble, stagger”), Icelandic stirtla (“to… The correct English form is startle, spelled S-T-A-R-T-L-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.
  2. 2
    To excite by sudden alarm, surprise, or apprehension; to frighten suddenly and not seriously; to alarm; to surprise.
  3. 3
    To deter; to cause to deviate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a horse that startles easily
  2. Why shrinks the soul / Back on herself, and startles at destruction?

Etymology

From Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen (“to rush, stumble along”), from Old English steartlian (“to kick with the foot, struggle, stumble”), equivalent to start + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stirtla (“to hobble, stagger”), Icelandic stirtla (“to straighten up, erect”). Compare also Middle English stertil (“hasty”). More at start.

Synonyms

startalarmfrightenscaresurprisedeter

This word in other languages

sobresaltarse(Español)sursauter(Français)aufschrecken(Deutsch)assustar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • satrtle
  • sstartle
  • starlte
  • starrtle
  • startel
  • startlle
  • starttle
  • statrle
  • stratle
  • sttartle
  • tsartle

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of startle - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

satrtle2sstartle1starlte2starrtle1startel2startlle1starttle1statrle2
Edit distance from "startle"

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 "startle"?
"startle" is spelled S-T-A-R-T-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/.
What does "startle" mean?
As a verb, "startle" means: To move suddenly, or be excited, on feeling alarm; to start.
What words are commonly confused with "startle"?
"startle" is commonly confused with "state", "statue", "starve". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "startle"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "startle" is /ˈstɑːt(ə)l/. 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 "startle"?
From Middle English startlen, stertlen, stertyllen (“to rush, stumble along”), from Old English steartlian (“to kick with the foot, struggle, stumble”), equivalent to start + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stirtla (“to hobble, stagger”), Icelandic st... 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 "startle", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

squalor#42,420subplot#42,429skyward#42,410Sherwin#42,408

Similar misspelling depth

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

Sharjah11 variantsseltzer11 variantstacitly11 variantsSelkirk11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list