stationery

/ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/

//ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi// noun

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

The verdict

“stationery” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #19,979 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#19,979
frequency rank, English
10
letters
15
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Writing materials, envelopes, office materials.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

stationery vs stationed
80% similar
stationery vs stationary
90% similar

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

Key facts for stationery
PropertyValue
Headwordstationery
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/
Letters10
Frequency rank#19,979
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stationery” 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). stationery 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 stationery is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #19,979 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "Writing materials, envelopes, office materials.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for stationery, with forms such as "sattionery", "sstationery", and "staitonery". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "stationed", "stationary", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From stationer + -y. The correct English form is stationery, spelled S-T-A-T-I-O-N-E-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Writing materials, envelopes, office materials.

Etymology

From stationer + -y.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sattionery,sstationery,staitonery,statinoery,statioenry,stationerry,stationeryy,stationeyr,stationnery,stationrey,statoinery,stattionery,sttaionery,sttationery,tsationery

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sattionery2sstationery1staitonery2statinoery2statioenry2stationerry1stationeryy1stationeyr2
Edit distance from "stationery"

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 "stationery"?
"stationery" is spelled S-T-A-T-I-O-N-E-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/.
What does "stationery" mean?
As a noun, "stationery" means: Writing materials, envelopes, office materials.
What words are commonly confused with "stationery"?
"stationery" is commonly confused with "stationed", "stationary". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stationery"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stationery" 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 "stationery"?
From stationer + -y. 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 “stationery”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-A-T-I-O-N-E-R-Y - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈsteɪʃ(ə)n(ə)ɹi/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “stationed” - see the side-by-side comparison. stationery vs stationed
  • 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