steak

/steɪk/

//steɪk// noun

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

"steak" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“steak” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,503 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#7,503
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Beefsteak: a slice of beef, broiled or cut for broiling.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

steak vs stem
60% similar
steak vs stew
60% similar
steak vs stock
60% similar

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

Key facts for steak
PropertyValue
Headwordsteak
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/steɪk/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,503
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “steak” 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). steak 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 steak is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /steɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,503 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for steak, with forms such as "setak", "ssteak", and "steakk". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "stem", "stew", "stock", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English steike, from Old Norse steik (“roast; meat roasted on a stick”). The verb is either from the noun or from steikja (“to roast”). The modern pronunciation shows an irregular change of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard langu… The correct English form is steak, spelled S-T-E-A-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    Beefsteak: a slice of beef, broiled or cut for broiling.
  2. 2
    A relatively large, thick slice or slab cut from another animal, a vegetable, etc.
  3. 3
    A slice of meat cut across the grain (perpendicular to the spine) from a fish.

Etymology

From Middle English steike, from Old Norse steik (“roast; meat roasted on a stick”). The verb is either from the noun or from steikja (“to roast”). The modern pronunciation shows an irregular change of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the standard language; contrast this with the development of other words such as speak and wreak.

This word in other languages

bistec(Español)bifteck(Français)Steak(Deutsch)bife(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: setak,ssteak,steakk,steka,stteak,tseak

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

setak2ssteak1steakk1steka2stteak1tseak2
Edit distance from "steak"

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 "steak"?
"steak" is spelled S-T-E-A-K. The IPA pronunciation is /steɪk/.
What does "steak" mean?
As a noun, "steak" means: Beefsteak: a slice of beef, broiled or cut for broiling.
What words are commonly confused with "steak"?
"steak" is commonly confused with "stem", "stew", "stock". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "steak"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "steak" is /steɪk/. 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 "steak"?
From Middle English steike, from Old Norse steik (“roast; meat roasted on a stick”). The verb is either from the noun or from steikja (“to roast”). The modern pronunciation shows an irregular change of Early Modern English /ɛː/ to /eɪ/ in the stan... 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 “steak”

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

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