steadfast

/ˈstɛdfɑːst/

//ˈstɛdfɑːst// adj

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

"steadfast" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“steadfast” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #24,323. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#24,323
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Fixed or unchanging; steady.

Corpus desk

Index EN-steadfast · steadfast · English

steadfast · rank #24,323 · 14 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #24,323
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH starlight

Nearest frequency peer: starlight (-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 “steadfast”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “steadfast” 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).

steadfast vs steadfastly
82% similar

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

Key facts for steadfast
PropertyValue
Headwordsteadfast
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈstɛdfɑːst/
Letters9
Frequency rank#24,323
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “steadfast”

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).steadfastlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “starlight” (#24,322), “spleen” (#24,321), “stomping” (#24,325). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “steadfast” is #24,323. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around steadfast (IPA /ˈstɛdfɑːst/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #24,323 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for steadfast, with forms such as "setadfast", "ssteadfast", and "staedfast". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "steadfastly", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stedefast, from Old English stedefæst, from Proto-Germanic *stadifastuz, equivalent to stead (“place; spot; position”) + fast (“firm; fixed”). Cognate with Middle Dutch stedevast (“steadfast”), Icelandic staðfestur (“steadfast”), Danish … The correct English form is steadfast, spelled S-T-E-A-D-F-A-S-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Fixed or unchanging; steady.
  2. 2
    Firmly loyal or constant; unswerving.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. steadfast support
  2. steadfast commitment

Etymology

From Middle English stedefast, from Old English stedefæst, from Proto-Germanic *stadifastuz, equivalent to stead (“place; spot; position”) + fast (“firm; fixed”). Cognate with Middle Dutch stedevast (“steadfast”), Icelandic staðfestur (“steadfast”), Danish stedfast (“firmly attached, secured”), Danish stadfæste (“to confirm; ratify”), Norwegian Bokmål stadfeste (“confirm, ratify; establish”), Swedish stadfästa (“to confirm; establish”).

This word in other languages

firme(Español)déterminé(Français)unentwegt(Deutsch)constante(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • setadfast
  • ssteadfast
  • staedfast
  • steadafst
  • steaddfast
  • steadfasst
  • steadfastt
  • steadfats
  • steadffast
  • steadfsat
  • steafdast
  • stedafast
  • stteadfast
  • tseadfast

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

setadfast2ssteadfast1staedfast2steadafst2steaddfast1steadfasst1steadfastt1steadfats2
Edit distance from "steadfast"

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 "steadfast"?
"steadfast" is spelled S-T-E-A-D-F-A-S-T. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɛdfɑːst/.
What does "steadfast" mean?
As an adjective, "steadfast" means: Fixed or unchanging; steady.
What words are commonly confused with "steadfast"?
"steadfast" is commonly confused with "steadfastly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "steadfast"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "steadfast" is /ˈstɛdfɑːst/. 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 "steadfast"?
From Middle English stedefast, from Old English stedefæst, from Proto-Germanic *stadifastuz, equivalent to stead (“place; spot; position”) + fast (“firm; fixed”). Cognate with Middle Dutch stedevast (“steadfast”), Icelandic staðfestur (“steadfast”... 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 "steadfast", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

starlight#24,322stylistic#24,329supergirl#24,330someplace#24,315

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

shivering14 variantssedentary14 variantspowerfully14 variantsperiodical14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list