stationary

/ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/

//ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi// adj

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

"stationary" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stationary” has 15 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,509. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,509
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not moving.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stationary · stationary · English

stationary · rank #12,509 · 15 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #12,509
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-5 5 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH statewide

Nearest frequency peer: statewide (-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 “stationary”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “stationary” 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).

stationary vs stationery
90% similar

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

Key facts for stationary
PropertyValue
Headwordstationary
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/
Letters10
Frequency rank#12,509
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stationary” 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).stationarylands 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 “statewide” (#12,508), “styled” (#12,510), “stacked” (#12,507). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around stationary (IPA /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #12,509 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for stationary, with forms such as "sattionary", "sstationary", and "staitonary". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "stationery", where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin stationarius, from statio, ultimately from stō (“to stand”). Doublet of stationer. The correct English form is stationary, spelled S-T-A-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not moving.
  2. 2
    Incapable of being moved.
  3. 3
    Unchanging.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The train remained stationary for a few moments, before lurching forward along the track.

Etymology

From Latin stationarius, from statio, ultimately from stō (“to stand”). Doublet of stationer.

Synonyms

at restdullimpassiveinanimatelifelessmotionlesssedentsedentarystationarystillstock-stilltorpidunmovedunmoving

Antonyms

in motion

This word in other languages

estacionario(Español)stationnaire(Français)stationär(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sattionary
  • sstationary
  • staitonary
  • statinoary
  • statioanry
  • stationarry
  • stationaryy
  • stationayr
  • stationnary
  • stationray
  • statoinary
  • stattionary
  • sttaionary
  • sttationary
  • tsationary

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sattionary2sstationary1staitonary2statinoary2statioanry2stationarry1stationaryy1stationayr2
Edit distance from "stationary"

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 "stationary"?
"stationary" is spelled S-T-A-T-I-O-N-A-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/.
What does "stationary" mean?
As an adjective, "stationary" means: Not moving.
What words are commonly confused with "stationary"?
"stationary" is commonly confused with "stationery". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stationary"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stationary" is /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/. 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 "stationary"?
From Latin stationarius, from statio, ultimately from stō (“to stand”). Doublet of stationer. 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 "stationary", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

succeeding#12,512Sunderland#12,513reconsider#12,483peacefully#12,472

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

universally15 variantsbandwidth15 variantsbeforehand15 variantslegitimacy15 variants

What to do next

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

  • This headword has one recorded confusable pair with "stationery". View pair
  • 15 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #12,509 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