stele
/ˈstiːli/
"stele" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“stele” is an uncommon English word, ranked #64,034 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #64,034
- frequency rank, English
- 5
- letters
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An upright (or formerly upright) slab containing engraved or painted decorations or inscriptions; a stela.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | stele |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /ˈstiːli/ |
| Letters | 5 |
| Frequency rank | #64,034 |
| Misspellings tracked | 0 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “stele” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for stele is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈstiːli/. Corpus data places it at rank #64,034 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
stele doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. No confusable counterpart is on file for this word, suggesting its spelling stands apart enough that readers rarely confuse it with something else.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Ancient Greek στήλη (stḗlē, “upright rock; pillar; column”), plural form στῆλαι (stêlai). Doublet of stela. The correct English form is stele, spelled S-T-E-L-E.
Definition
- 1An upright (or formerly upright) slab containing engraved or painted decorations or inscriptions; a stela.
- 2Any carved or engraved surface.
- 3An acroterion, the decoration on the ridge of an ancient Greek building such as a temple.
Etymology
From Ancient Greek στήλη (stḗlē, “upright rock; pillar; column”), plural form στῆλαι (stêlai). Doublet of stela.
Synonyms
This word in other languages
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
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Using “stele”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-T-E-L-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /ˈstiːli/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.