starve

/stɑːv/

//stɑːv// verb

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

"starve" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“starve” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #14,640 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#14,640
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To die because of lack of food or of not eating.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

starve vs state
67% similar
starve vs store
67% similar
starve vs Steve
50% similar

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

Key facts for starve
PropertyValue
Headwordstarve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/stɑːv/
Letters6
Frequency rank#14,640
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “starve” 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). starve 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 starve is 6 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɑːv/. Corpus data places it at rank #14,640 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for starve, with forms such as "satrve", "sstarve", and "starev". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "state", "store", "Steve", 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 sterven (“to die, perish”), from Old English steorfan (“to die, perish”), from Proto-West Germanic *sterban, from Proto-Germanic *sterbaną (“to become stiff, die”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terp- (“to lose strength, become numb, be m… The correct English form is starve, spelled S-T-A-R-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    To die because of lack of food or of not eating.
  2. 2
    To suffer severely because of lack of food or of not eating.
  3. 3
    To be very hungry.
  4. 4
    To kill or attempt to kill by depriving of food.
  5. 5
    To make suffer severely by depriving of food.
  6. 6
    To force a combatant to submit or surrender by depriving of food, as in a targeted siege.
  7. 7
    To force a population center to submit or surrender by depriving of food, as in sieges in international armed conflicts.
  8. 8
    To deprive of nourishment or of some vital component.
  9. 9
    To deteriorate for want of any essential thing.
  10. 10
    To kill with cold; to (cause to) die from cold.
  11. 11
    To die; in later use especially to die slowly, waste away.

Etymology

From Middle English sterven (“to die, perish”), from Old English steorfan (“to die, perish”), from Proto-West Germanic *sterban, from Proto-Germanic *sterbaną (“to become stiff, die”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terp- (“to lose strength, become numb, be motionless”); or from Proto-Indo-European *sterbʰ- (“to become stiff”), from *ster- (“stiff”); or a conflation of the aforementioned. Cognate with Scots stairve, sterve (“to die, perish, starve”), Saterland Frisian stjerwa (“to die”), West Frisian stjerre (“to die”), Dutch sterven (“to die”), German Low German starven (“to die”), German sterben (“to die”), Icelandic stirfinn (“peevish, froward”), Albanian shterp (“sterile, unproductive, barren land”).

This word in other languages

hambrear(Español)mourir de faim(Français)verhungern(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: satrve,sstarve,starev,starrve,starvve,stavre,strave,sttarve,tsarve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

satrve2sstarve1starev2starrve1starvve1stavre2strave2sttarve1
Edit distance from "starve"

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 "starve"?
"starve" is spelled S-T-A-R-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /stɑːv/.
What does "starve" mean?
As a verb, "starve" means: To die because of lack of food or of not eating.
What words are commonly confused with "starve"?
"starve" is commonly confused with "state", "store", "Steve". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "starve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "starve" is /stɑːv/. 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 "starve"?
From Middle English sterven (“to die, perish”), from Old English steorfan (“to die, perish”), from Proto-West Germanic *sterban, from Proto-Germanic *sterbaną (“to become stiff, die”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)terp- (“to lose strength, become ... 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 “starve”

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

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