stiff

/stɪf/

//stɪf// adj

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

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

The verdict

“stiff” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #8,357. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#8,357
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stiff · stiff · English

stiff · rank #8,357 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #8,357
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stern

Nearest frequency peer: stern (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “stiff”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

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

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).

stiff vs stir
60% similar
stiff vs stig
60% similar
stiff vs still
60% similar

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

Key facts for stiff
PropertyValue
Headwordstiff
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/stɪf/
Letters5
Frequency rank#8,357
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stiff” sits in English frequency

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).stifflands 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 “stern” (#8,356), “striker” (#8,358), “stabbed” (#8,355). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 6 spelling variants around stiff (IPA /stɪf/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #8,357 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for stiff, with forms such as "sitff", "sstiff", and "stfif". 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, "stir", "stig", "still", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stiff, stiffe, stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic *stīf, from Proto-Germanic *stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *steypós. See also West Frisian stiif, Dutch stijf, Norwegian Bokmål stiv, German steif; also Latin stīpes,… The correct English form is stiff, spelled S-T-I-F-F.

Definition

  1. 1
    Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible.
  2. 2
    Inflexible; rigid.
  3. 3
    Formal in behavior; unrelaxed.
  4. 4
    Harsh, severe.
  5. 5
    Painful or more rigid than usual as a result of excessive or unaccustomed exercise.
  6. 6
    Potent.
  7. 7
    Expensive, pricey.
  8. 8
    Dead, deceased.
  9. 9
    Erect.
  10. 10
    Having a dense consistency; thick; (by extension) Difficult to stir.
  11. 11
    Beaten until so aerated that they stand up straight on their own.
  12. 12
    Of an equation, for which certain numerical solving methods are numerically unstable, unless the step size is taken to be extremely small.
  13. 13
    Keeping upright.
  14. 14
    Of a shot, landing so close to the flagstick that it should be very easy to sink the ball with the next shot.
  15. 15
    Delivered more forcefully than needed, whether intentionally or accidentally, thus causing legitimate pain to the opponent.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “A tight little craft,” was Austin’s invariable comment on the matron;[…]. ¶ Near her wandered her husband, orientally bland, invariably affable, and from time to time squinting sideways, as usual, in the ever-renewed expectation that he might catch a glimpse of his stiff, retroussé moustache.
  2. You have discovered the corpse of Captain Willem of the MSV Majesty. His stiff fingers are wrapped tightly around a small datapad.

Etymology

From Middle English stiff, stiffe, stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic *stīf, from Proto-Germanic *stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *steypós. See also West Frisian stiif, Dutch stijf, Norwegian Bokmål stiv, German steif; also Latin stīpes, stīpō, from which English stevedore. The expected Modern English form would be /staɪf/; /stɪf/ is probably originally from compounds such as stiffly, where the vowel was shortened before a consonant cluster.

Synonyms

firmfrozenhardhardenedimmalleableinflexibleossifiedpetrifiedrigidsolidstarkstubbornstifftauttightunbendingunlimberunyielding

Antonyms

flexibleloosemalleableslacksoft

This word in other languages

rígido(Español)rigide(Français)steif(Deutsch)duro(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sitff
  • sstiff
  • stfif
  • stif
  • sttiff
  • tsiff

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sitff2sstiff1stfif2stif1sttiff1tsiff2
Edit distance from "stiff"

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 "stiff"?
"stiff" is spelled S-T-I-F-F. The IPA pronunciation is /stɪf/.
What does "stiff" mean?
As an adjective, "stiff" means: Rigid; hard to bend; inflexible.
What words are commonly confused with "stiff"?
"stiff" is commonly confused with "stir", "stig", "still". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stiff"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stiff" is /stɪf/. 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 "stiff"?
From Middle English stiff, stiffe, stif, from Old English stīf, from Proto-West Germanic *stīf, from Proto-Germanic *stīfaz, from Proto-Indo-European *steypós. See also West Frisian stiif, Dutch stijf, Norwegian Bokmål stiv, German steif; also Lat... 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 "stiff", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

stern#8,356Sudan#8,359sworn#8,362snack#8,351

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

sums6 variantsunite6 variantsrack6 variantsWalt6 variants

What to do next

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

  • "stiff" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "stir". View pair
  • 6 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #8,357 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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list