stepwise

adj

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

"stepwise" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stepwise” is uncommon English (frequency #70,295 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#70,295
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One (small) step or stage at a time; gradual; piecemeal

Corpus desk

Index EN-stepwise · stepwise · English

stepwise · rank #70,295 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #70,295
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH steadiness

Nearest frequency peer: steadiness (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “stepwise”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “stepwise” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for stepwise
PropertyValue
Headwordstepwise
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
Letters8
Frequency rank#70,295
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “stepwise” in English

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

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “steadiness” (#70,294), “Stonehaven” (#70,296), “steadfastness” (#70,293). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stepwise” is #70,295. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

stepwise is uncommon English at frequency #70,295 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "One (small) step or stage at a time; gradual; piecemeal".

The misspelling generator found no plausible variants for stepwise, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. This entry stands alone in our confusable dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From step + -wise. The correct English form is stepwise, spelled S-T-E-P-W-I-S-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    One (small) step or stage at a time; gradual; piecemeal

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The act of translation requires the stepwise decoding of the mRNA one codon at a time.

Etymology

From step + -wise.

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 "stepwise"?
"stepwise" is spelled S-T-E-P-W-I-S-E.
What does "stepwise" mean?
As an adjective, "stepwise" means: One (small) step or stage at a time; gradual; piecemeal
What is the origin of the word "stepwise"?
From step + -wise. 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 "stepwise", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

superego#70,305sphagnum#70,281tactless#70,315sonorous#70,274

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list