status

/ˈsteɪ.təs/

//ˈsteɪ.təs// noun

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

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

The verdict

“status” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #1,439 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#1,439
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A person’s condition, position or standing relative to that of others.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

status vs stays
67% similar
status vs stylus
67% similar
status vs Straus
50% similar

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

Key facts for status
PropertyValue
Headwordstatus
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈsteɪ.təs/
Letters6
Frequency rank#1,439
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “status” 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). status 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 status is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈsteɪ.təs/. Corpus data places it at rank #1,439 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 7 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 status, with forms such as "sattus", "sstatus", and "statsu". 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, "stays", "stylus", "Straus", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: A learned borrowing from Latin status. A doublet of state and estate. The correct English form is status, spelled S-T-A-T-U-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A person’s condition, position or standing relative to that of others.
  2. 2
    Prestige or high standing.
  3. 3
    A situation or state of affairs.
  4. 4
    The legal condition of a person or thing.
  5. 5
    The legal condition of a person or thing.
  6. 6
    A function of some instant messaging applications, whereby a user may post a message that appears automatically to other users, if they attempt to make contact.
  7. 7
    Short for status epilepticus or status asthmaticus.

Etymology

A learned borrowing from Latin status. A doublet of state and estate.

This word in other languages

estatus(Español)état(Français)Status(Deutsch)estado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sattus,sstatus,statsu,stattus,statuss,stauts,sttatus,sttaus,tsatus

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sattus2sstatus1statsu2stattus1statuss1stauts2sttatus1sttaus2
Edit distance from "status"

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 "status"?
"status" is spelled S-T-A-T-U-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈsteɪ.təs/.
What does "status" mean?
As a noun, "status" means: A person’s condition, position or standing relative to that of others.
What words are commonly confused with "status"?
"status" is commonly confused with "stays", "stylus", "Straus". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "status"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "status" is /ˈsteɪ.təs/. 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 "status"?
A learned borrowing from Latin status. A doublet of state and estate. 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 “status”

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

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