stigma

/ˈstɪɡmə/

//ˈstɪɡmə// noun

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

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

The verdict

“stigma” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #11,474. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#11,474
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
2
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An indication of infamy or disgrace.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stigma · stigma · English

stigma · rank #11,474 · 9 variants · 2 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #11,474
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 2 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH strengthened

Nearest frequency peer: strengthened (+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 “stigma”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stigma” 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).

stigma vs stig
67% similar
stigma vs sigma
83% similar

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

Key facts for stigma
PropertyValue
Headwordstigma
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɪɡmə/
Letters6
Frequency rank#11,474
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs2
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stigma”

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).stigmalands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “strengthened” (#11,475), “Stalin” (#11,472), “taco” (#11,476). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stigma” is #11,474. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around stigma (IPA /ˈstɪɡmə/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #11,474 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 9 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for stigma, with forms such as "sitgma", "sstigma", and "stgima". 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 2 confusable-pair relationships, "stig", "sigma", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Latin stigma, from Ancient Greek στίγμα (stígma, “mark of slavery or disgrace”), from στίζω (stízō, “to mark”). Closely related to stigme, and distantly related to stick. The correct English form is stigma, spelled S-T-I-G-M-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    An indication of infamy or disgrace.
  2. 2
    An indication of infamy or disgrace.
  3. 3
    An indication of infamy or disgrace.
  4. 4
    An indication of infamy or disgrace.
  5. 5
    An indication of infamy or disgrace.
  6. 6
    A scar or birthmark.
  7. 7
    The sticky part of a flower that receives pollen during pollination.
  8. 8
    A visible sign or characteristic of a disease.
  9. 9
    Synonym of pterostigma.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. But to have as an enforced dining companion a man who was probably a Papist, certainly a rake, and bore the stigma of cowardice, was anathema.
  2. Yet, because of the stigma around nursing home placement, it is hard to find advocates from among the natural advocacy groups the families. You don't see families organized around long-term care as you do around specific diseases.

Etymology

From Latin stigma, from Ancient Greek στίγμα (stígma, “mark of slavery or disgrace”), from στίζω (stízō, “to mark”). Closely related to stigme, and distantly related to stick.

This word in other languages

estigma(Español)stigmate(Français)Stigma(Deutsch)estigma(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sitgma
  • sstigma
  • stgima
  • stigam
  • stiggma
  • stigmma
  • stimga
  • sttigma
  • tsigma

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sitgma2sstigma1stgima2stigam2stiggma1stigmma1stimga2sttigma1
Edit distance from "stigma"

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 "stigma"?
"stigma" is spelled S-T-I-G-M-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɪɡmə/.
What does "stigma" mean?
As a noun, "stigma" means: An indication of infamy or disgrace.
What words are commonly confused with "stigma"?
"stigma" is commonly confused with "stig", "sigma". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stigma"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stigma" is /ˈstɪɡmə/. 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 "stigma"?
From Latin stigma, from Ancient Greek στίγμα (stígma, “mark of slavery or disgrace”), from στίζω (stízō, “to mark”). Closely related to stigme, and distantly related to stick. 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 "stigma", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Stalin#11,472tapped#11,479tinder#11,482truths#11,487

Similar misspelling depth

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

sewing9 variantsweighs9 variantsRhodes9 variantsRamsey9 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list