stepmother

/ˈstɛpmʌðə/

//ˈstɛpmʌðə// noun

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

"stepmother" is a 10-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stepmother” has 16 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #23,689. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#23,689
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
16
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The wife of one's biological father, other than one's biological mother.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stepmother · stepmother · English

stepmother · rank #23,689 · 16 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #23,689
  • LEN-MEGA 10 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 16 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH storming

Nearest frequency peer: storming (+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 “stepmother”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stepmother” 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).

stepmother vs stepfather
80% similar

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

Key facts for stepmother
PropertyValue
Headwordstepmother
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɛpmʌðə/
Letters10
Frequency rank#23,689
Misspellings tracked16
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stepmother”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).stepmotherlands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “storming” (#23,690), “squarely” (#23,687), “strut” (#23,692). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stepmother” is #23,689. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 16 spelling variants around stepmother (IPA /ˈstɛpmʌðə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #23,689 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 16 likely wrong-spelling variants for stepmother, with forms such as "setpmother", "sstepmother", and "stempother". 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, "stepfather", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stepmoder, from Old English stēopmōdor, from Proto-Germanic *steupamōdēr (“stepmother”), corresponding to step- + mother. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stäifmuur (“stepmother”), Dutch stiefmoeder (“stepmother”), German Low German Steevm… The correct English form is stepmother, spelled S-T-E-P-M-O-T-H-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    The wife of one's biological father, other than one's biological mother.
  2. 2
    A viola, especially Viola tricolor, heartsease.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The second came up about ten days later in the lee of the channel marker, and it was called stepmother, or love-in-idelness.

Etymology

From Middle English stepmoder, from Old English stēopmōdor, from Proto-Germanic *steupamōdēr (“stepmother”), corresponding to step- + mother. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stäifmuur (“stepmother”), Dutch stiefmoeder (“stepmother”), German Low German Steevmoder (“stepmother”), German Stiefmutter (“stepmother”), Danish stedmor (“stepmother”), Swedish styvmor (“stepmother”), Icelandic stjúpmóðir (“stepmother”). Compare also West Frisian styfmem (“stepmother”).

Synonyms

mother-in-lawstepdamestepmastepmamstepmamastepmammastepmomstepmommastepmommystepmumstepmummy

This word in other languages

madrastra(Español)belle-mère(Français)Stiefmutter(Deutsch)madrasta(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • setpmother
  • sstepmother
  • stempother
  • stepmmother
  • stepmohter
  • stepmotehr
  • stepmotherr
  • stepmothher
  • stepmothre
  • stepmotther
  • stepmtoher
  • stepomther
  • steppmother
  • stpemother
  • sttepmother
  • tsepmother

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stepmother - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

setpmother2sstepmother1stempother2stepmmother1stepmohter2stepmotehr2stepmotherr1stepmothher1
Edit distance from "stepmother"

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 "stepmother"?
"stepmother" is spelled S-T-E-P-M-O-T-H-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɛpmʌðə/.
What does "stepmother" mean?
As a noun, "stepmother" means: The wife of one's biological father, other than one's biological mother.
What words are commonly confused with "stepmother"?
"stepmother" is commonly confused with "stepfather". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stepmother"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stepmother" is /ˈstɛpmʌðə/. 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 "stepmother"?
From Middle English stepmoder, from Old English stēopmōdor, from Proto-Germanic *steupamōdēr (“stepmother”), corresponding to step- + mother. Cognate with Saterland Frisian Stäifmuur (“stepmother”), Dutch stiefmoeder (“stepmother”), German Low Ger... 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 "stepmother", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 10 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

SoundCloud#23,681undeniably#23,714unorthodox#23,716remodeling#23,652

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (16 here; floor ≥5).

propensity16 variantscircumvent16 variantsdisorderly16 variantsinspecting16 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list