# stave

> English word · Noun · IPA /steɪv/ · frequency rank #27,656

## Definitions
1. One of a number of narrow strips of wood, or narrow iron plates, placed edge to edge to form the sides, covering, or lining of a vessel or structure; especially, one of the strips which form the sides of a cask, barrel, pail, etc.
2. One of the bars or rounds of a rack, rungs of a ladder, etc; one of the cylindrical bars of a lantern wheel
3. A metrical portion; a stanza; a staff.
4. The set of five horizontal and parallel lines on and between which musical notes are written or pointed; the staff.
5. The initial consonant, consonant cluster, or vowel of a word which rhymes with another word with the same consonant or vowel in stave-rhyme.
6. A sign, symbol or sigil, including rune or rune-like characters, used in Icelandic magic.
7. A staff or walking stick.

## Etymology
Back-formation from staves, the plural of staff.

## Easily confused with
- **stay** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stay)
- **style** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-style)
- **store** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-store)
- **stone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stone)
- **Steve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-steve)
- **stays** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stays)
- **stole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stole)
- **stoke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stoke)
- **stove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stove)
- **Stowe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stowe)
- **suave** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-suave)
- **stipe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stipe)
- **stayed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stayed)
- **Steven** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-steven)
- **strive** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-strive)
- **Stevie** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stevie)
- **strove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-strove)
- **staves** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-staves)
- **stover** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stave-vs-stover)
- **STA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sta-vs-stave)

## Common misspellings (7)
`satve`, `sstave`, `staev`, `stavve`, `sttave`, `stvae`, `tsave`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/stave