sterile

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

/ˈstɛɹaɪl/

//ˈstɛɹaɪl// adj

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed September 3, 2026

The verdict

“sterile” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #16,591. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#16,591
frequency rank, English: 6,566
“S” headwords: 10
tracked misspellings: 15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Unable to reproduce (or procreate).

Corpus desk

Index EN-sterile · sterile · English

sterile · rank #16,591 · 10 variants · 15 confusables

FREQ-MID #16,591
LEN-LONG 7 letters
VOW-3 3 vowels
CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
VAR-MID 10 variants
BOOK-DENSE 6,566
PHOTO-FINISH stereotype

Nearest frequency peer: stereotype (-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.

soaking

83,413
stale

83,412
stereotype

83,411
sterile

83,410
stride

83,409
stringent

83,408

What this shows Bars show where “sterile” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

sterile vs strike

71% similar

sterile vs strive

71% similar

sterile vs Stevie

57% similar

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

Key facts for sterile
Property	Value
Headword	sterile
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/ˈstɛɹaɪl/
Letters	7
Frequency rank	#16,591
Misspellings tracked	10
Confusable pairs	15
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sterile” 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). sterile lands here:

#16,591

#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 10 spelling variants around sterile (IPA /ˈstɛɹaɪl/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #16,591 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for sterile, with forms such as "setrile", "ssterile", and "steirle". 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 15 confusable-pair relationships, "strike", "strive", "Stevie", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle French stérile, from Latin sterilis (“barren, futile”). See also Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra). The correct English form is sterile, spelled S-T-E-R-I-L-E.

Definition

1
Unable to reproduce (or procreate).
2
Terse; lacking sentiment or emotional stimulation, as in a manner of speaking.
3
Fruitless, uninspiring, or unproductive.
4
Germless; free from all living or viable microorganisms.
5
Permanently uninhabitable (as in a planet like Earth) to all life, including even microbes.
6
Free from dangerous objects, as a zone in an airport that can be only be entered via a security checkpoint.
7
Of weapons: foreign-made and untraceable to the United States.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

According to that Cabaliſticall Dogma: If Abram had not had this Letter [i.e., ה (he)] added unto his Name he had remained fruitleſſe, and without the power of generation: […] So that being ſterill before, he received the power of generation from that meaſure and manſion in the Archetype; and was made conformable unto Binah.
a sterile kitchen table

Etymology

From Middle French stérile, from Latin sterilis (“barren, futile”). See also Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra).

Synonyms

barren infertile fruitless sterile

Antonyms

fertile non-sterile nonsterile unsterile fecund fruitful potent productive

This word in other languages

estéril(Español)stérile(Français)unfruchtbar(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

setrile
ssterile
steirle
steriel
sterille
sterlie
sterrile
streile
stterile
tserile

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sterile - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

Edit distance from "sterile"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sterile"?

"sterile" is spelled S-T-E-R-I-L-E. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɛɹaɪl/.

What does "sterile" mean?

As an adjective, "sterile" means: Unable to reproduce (or procreate).

What words are commonly confused with "sterile"?

"sterile" is commonly confused with "strike", "strive", "Stevie". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "sterile"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sterile" is /ˈstɛɹaɪl/. 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 "sterile"?

From Middle French stérile, from Latin sterilis (“barren, futile”). See also Ancient Greek στεῖρα (steîra). 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 "sterile", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

soaking#16,588 torrent#16,600 trainee#16,602 tripped#16,605

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

trunks10 variants Vaughan10 variants Wichita10 variants approves10 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "sterile". Here's where to go from here.

"sterile" maps to 15 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "strike". View pair
10 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
Usage frequency rank #16,591 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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.