stepchild

noun

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

"stepchild" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stepchild” is uncommon English (frequency #76,362 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#76,362
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - The child of one's spouse from a previous relationship.

Key facts for stepchild
PropertyValue
Headwordstepchild
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
Letters9
Frequency rank#76,362
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stepchild” 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). stepchild lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Rare enough to double-check

stepchild is uncommon English at frequency #76,362 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for stepchild, suggesting the orthography follows predictable English patterns. This headword has no recorded confusable partner, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stepchild, stepchyld, from Old English stēopċild (“stepchild”), equivalent to step- + child. Compare Dutch stiefkind (“stepchild”), German Stiefkind (“stepchild”), Swedish styvbarn (“stepchild”). The correct English form is stepchild, spelled S-T-E-P-C-H-I-L-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    The child of one's spouse from a previous relationship.
  2. 2
    A bereaved child; one who has lost father or mother.

Etymology

From Middle English stepchild, stepchyld, from Old English stēopċild (“stepchild”), equivalent to step- + child. Compare Dutch stiefkind (“stepchild”), German Stiefkind (“stepchild”), Swedish styvbarn (“stepchild”).

Synonyms

stepbairnstepkidsteporphan

Antonyms

stepparent

This word in other languages

hijastro(Español)bel-enfant(Français)Stiefkind(Deutsch)

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 "stepchild"?
"stepchild" is spelled S-T-E-P-C-H-I-L-D.
What does "stepchild" mean?
As a noun, "stepchild" means: The child of one's spouse from a previous relationship.
What is the origin of the word "stepchild"?
From Middle English stepchild, stepchyld, from Old English stēopċild (“stepchild”), equivalent to step- + child. Compare Dutch stiefkind (“stepchild”), German Stiefkind (“stepchild”), Swedish styvbarn (“stepchild”). 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 “stepchild”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-E-P-C-H-I-L-D - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list