Steven

/ˈstiːvən/

//ˈstiːvən// name

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

"steven" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“Steven” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,800. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,800
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A male given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Stephen.

Corpus desk

Index EN-steven · Steven · English

Steven · rank #4,800 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,800
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH spy

Nearest frequency peer: spy (-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 “Steven”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “Steven” 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).

Steven vs Sven
67% similar
Steven vs stove
50% similar
Steven vs stolen
50% similar

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

Key facts for Steven
PropertyValue
HeadwordSteven
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechProper noun
IPA/ˈstiːvən/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,800
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “Steven”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).Stevenlands 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 “spy” (#4,799), “suggestions” (#4,801), “springs” (#4,798). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “Steven” is #4,800. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around Steven (IPA /ˈstiːvən/), aproper noun. Corpus frequency is #4,800 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "A male given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Stephen.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for Steven, with forms such as "setven", "ssteven", and "steevn". 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, "Sven", "stove", "stolen", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English Stevene, Steven, from Anglo-Norman Estievne, Estievene, from Latin Stephanus, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos), from στέφανος (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”), from στέφω (stéphō, “to put round, to surround”). The correct English form is Steven, spelled S-T-E-V-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    A male given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Stephen.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how Steven 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. That's why the people of this world believe in... Garnet, Amethyst, and Pearl, and Steven!

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English Stevene, Steven, from Anglo-Norman Estievne, Estievene, from Latin Stephanus, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos), from στέφανος (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”), from στέφω (stéphō, “to put round, to surround”).

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • setven
  • ssteven
  • steevn
  • stevenn
  • stevne
  • stevven
  • stteven
  • stveen
  • tseven

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

setven2ssteven1steevn2stevenn1stevne2stevven1stteven1stveen2
Edit distance from "Steven"

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 "Steven"?
"Steven" is spelled S-T-E-V-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstiːvən/.
What does "Steven" mean?
As a proper noun, "Steven" means: A male given name from Ancient Greek, variant of Stephen.
What words are commonly confused with "Steven"?
"Steven" is commonly confused with "Sven", "stove", "stolen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Steven"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Steven" is /ˈstiːvən/. 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 "Steven"?
Inherited from Middle English Stevene, Steven, from Anglo-Norman Estievne, Estievene, from Latin Stephanus, from Ancient Greek Στέφανος (Stéphanos), from στέφανος (stéphanos, “crown, wreath”), from στέφω (stéphō, “to put round, to surround”). 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 "Steven", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

sacred#4,794relate#4,792tunnel#4,809Poland#4,787

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

warrant9 variantsoldest9 variantsnelson9 variantsblessed9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list