sting

/ˈstɪŋ/

//ˈstɪŋ// noun

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

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

The verdict

“sting” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,674. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,674
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A bump left on the skin after having been stung.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sting · sting · English

sting · rank #9,674 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,674
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sticky

Nearest frequency peer: sticky (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “sting”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “sting” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

sting vs stir
60% similar
sting vs sung
60% similar
sting vs stun
60% similar

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

Key facts for sting
PropertyValue
Headwordsting
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɪŋ/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,674
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “sting” 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).sting lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around sting (IPA /ˈstɪŋ/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,674 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 13 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for sting, with forms such as "sitng", "ssting", and "stign". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "stir", "sung", "stun", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English styng, sting, stynge, stenge, from Old English sting, stincg (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stingaz; possibly also from Old English stynġ, from Proto-Germ… The correct English form is sting, spelled S-T-I-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    A bump left on the skin after having been stung.
  2. 2
    A puncture made by an insect or arachnid in an attack, usually including the injection of venom.
  3. 3
    A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.
  4. 4
    A sharp, localized pain primarily on the epidermis.
  5. 5
    A sharp-pointed hollow hair seated on a gland which secretes an acrid fluid, as in nettles.
  6. 6
    The thrust of a sting into the flesh; the act of stinging; a wound inflicted by stinging.
  7. 7
    A police operation in which the police pretend to engage in criminal activity in order to catch a criminal.
  8. 8
    A short percussive phrase played by a drummer to accent the punchline in a comedy show.
  9. 9
    A brief sequence of music used in films, TV, and video games as a form of scenic punctuation or to identify the broadcasting station.
  10. 10
    A support for a wind tunnel model which extends parallel to the air flow.
  11. 11
    The harmful or painful part of something.
  12. 12
    A goad; incitement.
  13. 13
    The concluding point of an epigram or other sarcastic saying.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Look at this nasty hornet sting: it's turned blue!
  2. She died from a bee sting.

Etymology

From Middle English styng, sting, stynge, stenge, from Old English sting, stincg (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stingaz; possibly also from Old English stynġ, from Proto-Germanic *stungiz.

Synonyms

stinger

This word in other languages

picadura(Español)piqûre(Français)Stich(Deutsch)ferroada(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sitng
  • ssting
  • stign
  • stingg
  • stinng
  • stnig
  • stting
  • tsing

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sting - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

sitng2ssting1stign2stingg1stinng1stnig2stting1tsing2
Edit distance from "sting"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sting"?
"sting" is spelled S-T-I-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɪŋ/.
What does "sting" mean?
As a noun, "sting" means: A bump left on the skin after having been stung.
What words are commonly confused with "sting"?
"sting" is commonly confused with "stir", "sung", "stun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sting"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sting" is /ˈstɪŋ/. 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 "sting"?
From Middle English styng, sting, stynge, stenge, from Old English sting, stincg (“a sting, stab, thrust made with a pointed instrument; the wound made by a stab or sting”), from Proto-Germanic *stingaz; possibly also from Old English stynġ, from ... 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 "sting", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

spicy#9,672seize#9,669Trent#9,680wines#9,695

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Morocco8 variantsMarion8 variantsmadame8 variantsluggage8 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "sting". Here's where to go from here.

  • "sting" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "stir". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #9,674 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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