stilted

/ˈstɪltɪd/

//ˈstɪltɪd// adj

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

"stilted" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stilted” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #49,652. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#49,652
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
15
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Making use of or possessing a stilt or stilts, or things resembling stilts; raised on stilts.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stilted · stilted · English

stilted · rank #49,652 · 11 variants · 15 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #49,652
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 15 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stealthily

Nearest frequency peer: stealthily (-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 “stilted”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stilted” 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).

stilted vs suited
71% similar
stilted vs styled
71% similar
stilted vs stirred
71% similar

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

Key facts for stilted
PropertyValue
Headwordstilted
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈstɪltɪd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#49,652
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs15
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stilted”

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).stiltedlands 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 “stealthily” (#49,651), “stooped” (#49,653), “starkly” (#49,650). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stilted” is #49,652. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around stilted (IPA /ˈstɪltɪd/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #49,652 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 3 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for stilted, with forms such as "sitlted", "sstilted", and "stiletd". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 15 confusable-pair relationships, "suited", "styled", "stirred", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From stilt + -ed. The correct English form is stilted, spelled S-T-I-L-T-E-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    Making use of or possessing a stilt or stilts, or things resembling stilts; raised on stilts.
  2. 2
    Elevated or raised in a contrived or unnatural way; stiff and artificially formal or pompous; also, depending on redundant, unnecessary elements.
  3. 3
    Of a building or architectural feature such as an arch or vault: supported by stilts (“supporting pillars or posts”); also (generally) having the main part raised above the usual level by some structure.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. And laugh at this fantaſtic Mummery, / This antic Prelude of groteſque Events, / Where Dwarfs are often ſtilted, and betray / A Littleneſs of ſoul by Worlds o'er-run, / And Nations laid in blood.
  2. The state of husbandry is very far behind. The plough generally used is the single stilted one. In using this kind of plough, the ploughman bends towards the soil, and well merits the title of curvus arator, bestowed by Virgil on the Italian ploughman. [...] The two-stilted plough is beginning to be used; but the general opinion is against it.

Etymology

From stilt + -ed.

This word in other languages

acartonado(Español)guindé(Français)gestelzt(Deutsch)pomposo(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sitlted
  • sstilted
  • stiletd
  • stillted
  • stiltde
  • stiltedd
  • stiltted
  • stitled
  • stlited
  • sttilted
  • tsilted

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sitlted2sstilted1stiletd2stillted1stiltde2stiltedd1stiltted1stitled2
Edit distance from "stilted"

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 "stilted"?
"stilted" is spelled S-T-I-L-T-E-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɪltɪd/.
What does "stilted" mean?
As an adjective, "stilted" means: Making use of or possessing a stilt or stilts, or things resembling stilts; raised on stilts.
What words are commonly confused with "stilted"?
"stilted" is commonly confused with "suited", "styled", "stirred". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stilted"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stilted" is /ˈstɪltɪd/. 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 "stilted"?
From stilt + -ed. 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 "stilted", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

stooped#49,653starkly#49,650talkies#49,664tamales#49,665

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

Sumitomo11 variantssupplant11 variantsskirted11 variantstimezone11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list