Steve

/stiːv/

//stiːv// name

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

"steve" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Steve” has 7 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,017. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,017
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
7
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A diminutive of the male given name Steven and Stephen; also used as a formal male given name.

Corpus desk

Index EN-steve · Steve · English

Steve · rank #2,017 · 7 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,017
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 7 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH steel

Nearest frequency peer: steel (-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 “Steve”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Steve” 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).

Steve vs stew
40% similar
Steve vs style
40% similar
Steve vs store
40% similar

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

Key facts for Steve
PropertyValue
HeadwordSteve
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/stiːv/
Letters5
Frequency rank#2,017
Misspellings tracked7
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Steve”

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

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “steel” (#2,016), “supporting” (#2,018), “spending” (#2,015). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Steve” is #2,017. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 7 spelling variants around Steve (IPA /stiːv/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #2,017 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 7 likely wrong-spelling variants for Steve, with forms such as "setve", "ssteve", and "steev". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "stew", "style", "store", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Shortening of various names ultimately derived from Latin Stephanus m, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος m (Stéphanos) from στέφανος m (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”) The correct English form is Steve, spelled S-T-E-V-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    A diminutive of the male given name Steven and Stephen; also used as a formal male given name.
  2. 2
    A diminutive of the female given name Stephanie.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. His first name was probably Steve or Ed. No, there were no more Steves or Eds in New York. They were now Steven or Edward, whether they were gay or straight. If they had money, they didn't have a nickname. Everybody was into high seriousness, so that now even dogs were named Humphrey and Raphael.
  2. White House chief strategist Steve Bannon has been in contact via intermediaries with Curtis Yarvin, Politico Magazine reported this week.

Etymology

Shortening of various names ultimately derived from Latin Stephanus m, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος m (Stéphanos) from στέφανος m (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • setve
  • ssteve
  • steev
  • stevve
  • stteve
  • stvee
  • tseve

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Steve - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

setve2ssteve1steev2stevve1stteve1stvee2tseve2
Edit distance from "Steve"

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 "Steve"?
"Steve" is spelled S-T-E-V-E. The IPA pronunciation is /stiːv/.
What does "Steve" mean?
As a proper noun, "Steve" means: A diminutive of the male given name Steven and Stephen; also used as a formal male given name.
What words are commonly confused with "Steve"?
"Steve" is commonly confused with "stew", "style", "store". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Steve"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Steve" is /stiːv/. 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 "Steve"?
Shortening of various names ultimately derived from Latin Stephanus m, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος m (Stéphanos) from στέφανος m (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”) 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 "Steve", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

steel#2,016signs#2,014tired#2,021joint#2,002

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (7 here; floor ≥5).

enemy7 variantsfixed7 variantscheap7 variantslimit7 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list