steep

/stiːp/

//stiːp// adj

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

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

The verdict

“steep” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,292. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,292
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical.

Corpus desk

Index EN-steep · steep · English

steep · rank #7,292 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,292
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH speculation

Nearest frequency peer: speculation (-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 “steep”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “steep” 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).

steep vs STP
0% similar
steep vs stop
60% similar
steep vs stem
60% similar

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

Key facts for steep
PropertyValue
Headwordsteep
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/stiːp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#7,292
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “steep”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).steeplands 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 “speculation” (#7,291), “Stevens” (#7,293), “spark” (#7,290). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “steep” is #7,292. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around steep (IPA /stiːp/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #7,292 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for steep, with forms such as "setep", "ssteep", and "steepp". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "STP", "stop", "stem", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English steep, from Old English stēap (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *staupaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewb- (“to push, stick”). Compare Old Frisian stāp ("high, towering"; > Modern Saterland Frisian stiep (“steep”)), Dutch stoop (“grand; pr… The correct English form is steep, spelled S-T-E-E-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical.
  2. 2
    Expensive.
  3. 3
    Difficult to access; not easy reached; lofty; elevated; high.
  4. 4
    resulting in a mast or windshield angle that strongly diverges from the perpendicular.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a steep hill or mountain; a steep roof; a steep ascent; a steep barometric gradient
  2. They will be called upon to deal with freight trains of up to 900 tons over gradients considerably steeper than those of the Central Section—for example, the frequent stretches of 1 in 100 between Victoria and the Medway towns—and their running to fast schedules will include the haulage of the "Night Ferry", which may load up to as much as 700 tons, and f…

Etymology

From Middle English steep, from Old English stēap (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *staupaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewb- (“to push, stick”). Compare Old Frisian stāp ("high, towering"; > Modern Saterland Frisian stiep (“steep”)), Dutch stoop (“grand; proud”), Middle High German stouf (“towering cliff, precipice”), Middle High German stief (“steep”)). The Proto-Indo-European root (and related) has many and varied descendants, including English stub; compare also Scots stap (“to strike, to forcibly insert”). The sense of “sharp slope” is attested circa 1200; the sense “expensive” is attested US 1856.

Synonyms

branthilly

This word in other languages

inclinado(Español)escarpé(Français)steil(Deutsch)íngreme(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • setep
  • ssteep
  • steepp
  • step
  • stepe
  • stteep
  • tseep

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of steep - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

setep2ssteep1steepp1step1stepe2stteep1tseep2
Edit distance from "steep"

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 "steep"?
"steep" is spelled S-T-E-E-P. The IPA pronunciation is /stiːp/.
What does "steep" mean?
As an adjective, "steep" means: Of a near-vertical gradient; of a slope, surface, curve, etc. that proceeds upward at an angle near vertical.
What words are commonly confused with "steep"?
"steep" is commonly confused with "STP", "stop", "stem". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "steep"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "steep" is /stiːp/. 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 "steep"?
From Middle English steep, from Old English stēap (“high”), from Proto-Germanic *staupaz, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewb- (“to push, stick”). Compare Old Frisian stāp ("high, towering"; > Modern Saterland Frisian stiep (“steep”)), Dutch stoop (... 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 "steep", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

spark#7,290straw#7,294sneak#7,287weigh#7,303

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

roller7 variantsremix7 variantsadapt7 variantsprobe7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list