# steeple

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈstiːpəl/ · frequency rank #40,034

## Definitions
1. A tall tower, often on a church, normally topped with a spire.
2. A spire.
3. A high headdress of the 14th century.

## Etymology
From Middle English stepel, from Old English stīpel, stȳpel, stīepel (“tower, steeple”), from Proto-West Germanic *staupil, from Proto-Germanic *staupilaz (“that which is steep, tower, steeple”), equivalent to steep + -le. Cognate with Old Norse stǫpull (“tower, steeple”).

## Easily confused with
- **steppe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steeple-vs-steppe)
- **sterile** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steeple-vs-sterile)
- **steeply** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steeple-vs-steeply)
- **steel** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steel-vs-steeple)
- **steep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steep-vs-steeple)
- **staple** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/staple-vs-steeple)
- **Steele** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steele-vs-steeple)
- **steely** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steely-vs-steeple)
- **steeper** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/steeper-vs-steeple)

## Common misspellings (10)
`seteple`, `ssteeple`, `steelpe`, `steepel`, `steeplle`, `steepple`, `stepele`, `steple`, `stteeple`, `tseeple`

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