stencil

Name: stencil, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

/ˈstɛnsɪl/

//ˈstɛnsɪl// noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“stencil” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #35,536. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#35,536
frequency rank, English: 54,294
“S” headwords: 11
tracked misspellings: 1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A thin sheet, either perforated or using some other technique, with which a pattern may be produced upon a surface; a utensil that contains a perforated sheet.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

stencil vs stench

71% similar

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

Key facts for stencil
Property	Value
Headword	stencil
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
IPA	/ˈstɛnsɪl/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#35,536
Misspellings tracked	11
Confusable pairs	1
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stencil” 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). stencil lands here:

#35,536

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around stencil (IPA /ˈstɛnsɪl/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #35,536 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for stencil, with forms such as "setncil", "sstencil", and "stecnil". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "stench", a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Likely a nominalization of Middle English stencellen (“to garnish with bright hues”), borrowed from Middle French estinceller (“to glisten”), from Old French estenceler (“to spark”), from Old French estencele (“spark”), from Vulgar Latin *stincilla, from me… The correct English form is stencil, spelled S-T-E-N-C-I-L.

Definition

1
A thin sheet, either perforated or using some other technique, with which a pattern may be produced upon a surface; a utensil that contains a perforated sheet.
2
A pattern produced using such a utensil.
3
A two-ply master sheet for use with a mimeograph.

Etymology

Likely a nominalization of Middle English stencellen (“to garnish with bright hues”), borrowed from Middle French estinceller (“to glisten”), from Old French estenceler (“to spark”), from Old French estencele (“spark”), from Vulgar Latin *stincilla, from metathesis of Latin scintilla (“spark”). The verb is from the noun.

This word in other languages

estarcido(Español)pochoir(Français)Schablone(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

setncil
sstencil
stecnil
stenccil
stencill
stencli
stenicl
stenncil
stnecil
sttencil
tsencil

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stencil - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

Edit distance from "stencil"

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 "stencil"?

"stencil" is spelled S-T-E-N-C-I-L. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɛnsɪl/.

What does "stencil" mean?

As a noun, "stencil" means: A thin sheet, either perforated or using some other technique, with which a pattern may be produced upon a surface; a utensil that contains a perforated sheet.

What words are commonly confused with "stencil"?

"stencil" is commonly confused with "stench". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "stencil"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stencil" is /ˈstɛnsɪl/. 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 "stencil"?

Likely a nominalization of Middle English stencellen (“to garnish with bright hues”), borrowed from Middle French estinceller (“to glisten”), from Old French estenceler (“to spark”), from Old French estencele (“spark”), from Vulgar Latin *stincill... 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 “stencil”

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

The one correct English spelling is S-T-E-N-C-I-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Say it as /ˈstɛnsɪl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
Don't mix it up with “stench” - see the side-by-side comparison. stencil vs stench
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Same frequency band

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.