sternum

/ˈstɜː.nəm/

//ˈstɜː.nəm// noun

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

"sternum" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sternum” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,108. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,108
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
3
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - The breastbone, consisting of the manubrium, gladiolus, and xiphoid process.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sternum · sternum · English

sternum · rank #39,108 · 11 variants · 3 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,108
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 3 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stank

Nearest frequency peer: stank (-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 “sternum”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sternum” 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).

sternum vs stern
71% similar
sternum vs serum
71% similar
sternum vs sternly
71% similar

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

Key facts for sternum
PropertyValue
Headwordsternum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɜː.nəm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#39,108
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs3
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sternum”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).sternumlands 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 “stank” (#39,107), “stockbroker” (#39,109), “Stalinist” (#39,106). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sternum” is #39,108. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around sternum (IPA /ˈstɜː.nəm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,108 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for sternum, with forms such as "setrnum", "ssternum", and "stenrum". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 3 confusable-pair relationships, "stern", "serum", "sternly", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from New Latin sternum, related to Old English steorn (“forehead”), German Stirn (“forehead”). The correct English form is sternum, spelled S-T-E-R-N-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    The breastbone, consisting of the manubrium, gladiolus, and xiphoid process.
  2. 2
    The sclerotized ventral plate of spiders, between the coxae, marking the floor of the cephalothorax.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. The neckline fell into a V, showing the bone of his sternum.

Etymology

Borrowed from New Latin sternum, related to Old English steorn (“forehead”), German Stirn (“forehead”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • setrnum
  • ssternum
  • stenrum
  • sternmu
  • sternnum
  • sternumm
  • sterrnum
  • sterunm
  • strenum
  • stternum
  • tsernum

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sternum - 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.

setrnum2ssternum1stenrum2sternmu2sternnum1sternumm1sterrnum1sterunm2
Edit distance from "sternum"

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 "sternum"?
"sternum" is spelled S-T-E-R-N-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɜː.nəm/.
What does "sternum" mean?
As a noun, "sternum" means: The breastbone, consisting of the manubrium, gladiolus, and xiphoid process.
What words are commonly confused with "sternum"?
"sternum" is commonly confused with "stern", "serum", "sternly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sternum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sternum" is /ˈstɜː.nəm/. 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 "sternum"?
Borrowed from New Latin sternum, related to Old English steorn (“forehead”), German Stirn (“forehead”). 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 "sternum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

spender#39,101sucrose#39,120synapse#39,127tasking#39,129

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Suleiman11 variantstidings11 variantsscraper11 variantstutelage11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list