statute

/ˈstatjuːt/

//ˈstatjuːt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“statute” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,257. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,257
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
8
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A written law or ordinance passed by a legislative body.

Corpus desk

Index EN-statute · statute · English

statute · rank #9,257 · 9 variants · 8 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,257
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 8 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH startup

Nearest frequency peer: startup (-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 “statute”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “statute” 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).

statute vs statutes
88% similar
statute vs state
71% similar
statute vs status
71% similar

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

Key facts for statute
PropertyValue
Headwordstatute
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstatjuːt/
Letters7
Frequency rank#9,257
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs8
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “statute”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).statutelands 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 “startup” (#9,256), “staged” (#9,255), “straightforward” (#9,259). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “statute” is #9,257. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around statute (IPA /ˈstatjuːt/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,257 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for statute, with forms such as "sattute", "sstatute", and "stattute". 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 8 confusable-pair relationships, "statutes", "state", "status", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English statut, from Old French statut, from Late Latin statutum (“a statute”), neuter singular of Latin statutus, past participle of statuō (“I set up, establish”). The correct English form is statute, spelled S-T-A-T-U-T-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A written law or ordinance passed by a legislative body.
  2. 2
    A rule of an organization or institution.
  3. 3
    A law or decree made by a sovereign, or by God.
  4. 4
    A (theoretical) type of statutory law specified as regulating a person or thing.
  5. 5
    A (theoretical) type of statutory law specified as regulating a person or thing.
  6. 6
    A statute fair.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The new statute limited working hours.
  2. Parliament passed a statute on environmental protection.

Etymology

From Middle English statut, from Old French statut, from Late Latin statutum (“a statute”), neuter singular of Latin statutus, past participle of statuō (“I set up, establish”).

This word in other languages

estatuto(Español)statut(Français)Statut(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sattute
  • sstatute
  • stattute
  • statuet
  • statutte
  • stautte
  • sttatute
  • sttaute
  • tsatute

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sattute2sstatute1stattute1statuet2statutte1stautte2sttatute1sttaute2
Edit distance from "statute"

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 "statute"?
"statute" is spelled S-T-A-T-U-T-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstatjuːt/.
What does "statute" mean?
As a noun, "statute" means: A written law or ordinance passed by a legislative body.
What words are commonly confused with "statute"?
"statute" is commonly confused with "statutes", "state", "status". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "statute"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "statute" is /ˈstatjuːt/. 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 "statute"?
From Middle English statut, from Old French statut, from Late Latin statutum (“a statute”), neuter singular of Latin statutus, past participle of statuō (“I set up, establish”). 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 "statute", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

startup#9,256sinking#9,251simpler#9,250thieves#9,264

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

staged9 variantssorted9 variantstoddler9 variantsvicious9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list