# stiffness

> English word · Noun · frequency rank #22,516

## Definitions
1. Rigidity or a measure of rigidity.
2. Inflexibility or a measure of inflexibility.
3. Inelegance; a lack of relaxedness.
4. Muscular tension due to unaccustomed or excessive exercise or work; soreness.

## Etymology
From Middle English stiffenes, styffenesse, styfnesse; equivalent to stiff + -ness. Perhaps merging with Middle English stithnesse, stithnysse, from Old English stīþness (“stiffness”).

## Easily confused with
- **stillness** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stiffness-vs-stillness)

## Common misspellings (11)
`sitffness`, `sstiffness`, `stfifness`, `stiffenss`, `stiffnes`, `stiffnness`, `stiffnses`, `stifness`, `stifnfess`, `sttiffness`, `tsiffness`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/stiffness