stilt

/stɪlt/

//stɪlt// noun

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

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

The verdict

“stilt” is uncommon English (frequency #61,836 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#61,836
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Either of two poles with footrests that allow someone to stand or walk above the ground; used mostly by entertainers.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stilt · stilt · English

stilt · rank #61,836 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #61,836
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH steeping

Nearest frequency peer: steeping (-2 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.

Long-tail ranks near “stilt”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “stilt” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for stilt
PropertyValue
Headwordstilt
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stɪlt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#61,836
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “stilt” in English

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).stiltfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “steeping” (#61,834), “Stretton” (#61,838), “STB” (#61,833). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stilt” is #61,836. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

stilt is uncommon English at frequency #61,836 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /stɪlt/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No misspelling variants are generated for stilt in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which typically means the spelling is too distinctive to be mistaken for another word.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stilte, stulte, from Old English *stilte, *stylte, from Proto-Germanic *stiltijǭ, *staltijǭ, *stultijǭ (“stilt”), from Proto-Germanic *stelt- (“to be stiff”). Akin to Danish stylte, Dutch stelt, German Stelze. The correct English form is stilt, spelled S-T-I-L-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Either of two poles with footrests that allow someone to stand or walk above the ground; used mostly by entertainers.
  2. 2
    A tall pillar or post used to support some structure; often above water.
  3. 3
    Any of various wading birds of the genera Himantopus and Cladorhynchus, related to the avocet, that have extremely long legs and long thin bills.
  4. 4
    A crutch.
  5. 5
    The handle of a plough.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

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

  1. He[…]shot MacLaren when between the stilts of his plough,[…]

Etymology

From Middle English stilte, stulte, from Old English *stilte, *stylte, from Proto-Germanic *stiltijǭ, *staltijǭ, *stultijǭ (“stilt”), from Proto-Germanic *stelt- (“to be stiff”). Akin to Danish stylte, Dutch stelt, German Stelze.

This word in other languages

zanco(Español)échasse(Français)Stelze(Deutsch)perna de pau(Português)

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 "stilt"?
"stilt" is spelled S-T-I-L-T. The IPA pronunciation is /stɪlt/.
What does "stilt" mean?
As a noun, "stilt" means: Either of two poles with footrests that allow someone to stand or walk above the ground; used mostly by entertainers.
How do you pronounce "stilt"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stilt" is /stɪlt/. 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 "stilt"?
From Middle English stilte, stulte, from Old English *stilte, *stylte, from Proto-Germanic *stiltijǭ, *staltijǭ, *stultijǭ (“stilt”), from Proto-Germanic *stelt- (“to be stiff”). Akin to Danish stylte, Dutch stelt, German Stelze. 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 "stilt", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

swole#61,846sooth#61,823Silla#61,816sigil#61,814

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list