stern

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

/stɜːn/

//stɜːn// adj

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

The verdict

“stern” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #8,356 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#8,356
frequency rank, English: 5
letters: 8
tracked misspellings: 20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Having a hardness and severity of nature or manner.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

stern vs STR

0% similar

stern vs stir

60% similar

stern vs stew

60% similar

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

Key facts for stern
Property	Value
Headword	stern
Language	English
Part of speech	Adjective
IPA	/stɜːn/
Letters	5
Frequency rank	#8,356
Misspellings tracked	8
Confusable pairs	20
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stern” 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). stern lands here:

#8,356

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

← used constantlyrarely used →

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for stern is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɜːn/. Corpus data places it at rank #8,356 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for stern, with forms such as "setrn", "sstern", and "stenr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "STR", "stir", "stew", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stern, sterne, sturne, from Old English styrne (“stern, grave, strict, austere, hard, severe, cruel”), from Proto-Germanic *sturnijaz (“angry, astonished, shocked”), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“rigid, stiff”). Cognate with Scots st… The correct English form is stern, spelled S-T-E-R-N.

Definition

1
Having a hardness and severity of nature or manner.
2
Grim and forbidding in appearance.

Etymology

From Middle English stern, sterne, sturne, from Old English styrne (“stern, grave, strict, austere, hard, severe, cruel”), from Proto-Germanic *sturnijaz (“angry, astonished, shocked”), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“rigid, stiff”). Cognate with Scots stern (“bold, courageous, fierce, resolute”), Old High German stornēn (“to be astonished”), Dutch stuurs (“glum, austere”), Swedish stursk (“insolent”).

Synonyms

Antonyms

animated cheerful emotional empathic gregarious kindly lenient soft unstrict vivacious

This word in other languages

severo(Español)sévère(Français)streng(Deutsch)severo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: setrn,sstern,stenr,sternn,sterrn,stren,sttern,tsern

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

Edit distance from "stern"

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 "stern"?

"stern" is spelled S-T-E-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /stɜːn/.

What does "stern" mean?

As an adjective, "stern" means: Having a hardness and severity of nature or manner.

What words are commonly confused with "stern"?

"stern" is commonly confused with "STR", "stir", "stew". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.

How do you pronounce "stern"?

The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stern" is /stɜːn/. 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 "stern"?

From Middle English stern, sterne, sturne, from Old English styrne (“stern, grave, strict, austere, hard, severe, cruel”), from Proto-Germanic *sturnijaz (“angry, astonished, shocked”), from Proto-Indo-European *ster- (“rigid, stiff”). Cognate wit... 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 “stern”

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

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

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.