still

/stɪl/

//stɪl// adj

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

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

The verdict

“still” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #127 in English word frequency and used as an adjective.

#127
frequency rank, English
5
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Not moving; calm.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

still vs stir
60% similar
still vs style
60% similar
still vs stole
60% similar

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

Key facts for still
PropertyValue
Headwordstill
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/stɪl/
Letters5
Frequency rank#127
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “still” sits in English frequency

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

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for still is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɪl/. Corpus data places it at rank #127 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for still, with forms such as "sitll", "sstill", and "stil". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "stir", "style", "stole", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stille (“motionless, stationary”), from Old English stille (“still, quiet”), from Proto-West Germanic *stillī, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)telH- (“to be silent; to be still”). Cognate with Scots stil (“still”), Saterland Frisian stil (“… The correct English form is still, spelled S-T-I-L-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not moving; calm.
  2. 2
    Not effervescing; not sparkling.
  3. 3
    Uttering no sound; silent.
  4. 4
    Having the same stated quality continuously from a past time
  5. 5
    Comparatively quiet or silent; soft; gentle; low.
  6. 6
    Constant; continual.
  7. 7
    Dormant.

Etymology

From Middle English stille (“motionless, stationary”), from Old English stille (“still, quiet”), from Proto-West Germanic *stillī, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)telH- (“to be silent; to be still”). Cognate with Scots stil (“still”), Saterland Frisian stil (“motionless, calm, quiet”), West Frisian stil (“quiet, still”), Dutch stil (“quiet, silent, still”), Low German still (“quiet, silent, still”), German still (“still, quiet, tranquil, silent”), Swedish stilla (“quiet, silent, peaceful”), Icelandic stilltur (“set, quiet, calm, still”). Related to stall. (noun: Falkland Islander): Military slang, short for still a Benny, since the military had been instructed not to refer to the islanders by the derogatory term Benny (which see).

This word in other languages

quieto(Español)calme(Français)still(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sitll,sstill,stil,stlil,sttill,tsill

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sitll2sstill1stil1stlil2sttill1tsill2
Edit distance from "still"

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 "still"?
"still" is spelled S-T-I-L-L. The IPA pronunciation is /stɪl/.
What does "still" mean?
As an adjective, "still" means: Not moving; calm.
What words are commonly confused with "still"?
"still" is commonly confused with "stir", "style", "stole". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "still"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "still" is /stɪl/. 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 "still"?
From Middle English stille (“motionless, stationary”), from Old English stille (“still, quiet”), from Proto-West Germanic *stillī, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)telH- (“to be silent; to be still”). Cognate with Scots stil (“still”), Saterland Frisi... 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.

Using “still”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-I-L-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /stɪl/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “stir” - see the side-by-side comparison. still vs stir
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list