# steak

> English word · Noun · IPA /steɪk/ · frequency rank #7,503

## Definitions
1. Beefsteak: a slice of beef, broiled or cut for broiling.
2. A relatively large, thick slice or slab cut from another animal, a vegetable, etc.
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.

## Easily confused with
- **stem** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-stem)
- **stew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-stew)
- **stock** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-stock)
- **stick** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-stick)
- **steps** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-steps)
- **steel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-steel)
- **Steve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-steve)
- **stuck** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-stuck)
- **steam** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-steam)
- **swear** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-swear)
- **steal** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-steal)
- **sweat** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-sweat)
- **steep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-steep)
- **straw** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-straw)
- **stern** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-stern)
- **strap** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-strap)
- **stray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-stray)
- **steer** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-steer)
- **stein** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-stein)
- **stink** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steak-vs-stink)

## Common misspellings (6)
`setak`, `ssteak`, `steakk`, `steka`, `stteak`, `tseak`

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