stinger

/ˈstɪŋ.ə(ɹ)/

//ˈstɪŋ.ə(ɹ)// noun

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

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

The verdict

“stinger” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #32,195. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#32,195
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stinger · stinger · English

stinger · rank #32,195 · 11 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #32,195
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stifled

Nearest frequency peer: stifled (-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 “stinger”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stinger” 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).

stinger vs stoner
71% similar
stinger vs stingy
71% similar
stinger vs stunner
71% similar

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

Key facts for stinger
PropertyValue
Headwordstinger
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɪŋ.ə(ɹ)/
Letters7
Frequency rank#32,195
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stinger”

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).stingerlands 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 “stifled” (#32,194), “stipulation” (#32,196), “Stowe” (#32,197). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stinger” is #32,195. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around stinger (IPA /ˈstɪŋ.ə(ɹ)/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #32,195 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for stinger, with forms such as "sitnger", "sstinger", and "stigner". 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, "stoner", "stingy", "stunner", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From sting + -er. Both figurative and literal senses appeared in the 16th century. The correct English form is stinger, spelled S-T-I-N-G-E-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.
  2. 2
    Anything that is used to sting, as a means of attack.
  3. 3
    Anything, such as an insult, that stings mentally or psychologically.
  4. 4
    A cocktail of brandy and crème de menthe.
  5. 5
    A portable bed of nails to puncture car tires, used by police and military forces.
  6. 6
    A minor neurological injury of the spine characterized by a shooting or stinging pain down one arm, followed by numbness and weakness.
  7. 7
    A station identifier on television or radio played between shows.
  8. 8
    A scene shown on films or television shows after the credits.
  9. 9
    A nonlethal grenade using rubber instead of shrapnel, more commonly called a sting grenade.
  10. 10
    A short musical phrase or chord used non-diegetically to dramatic or emphatic effect.
  11. 11
    A final note played at the end of a military march.
  12. 12
    An extension cord.
  13. 13
    A stinging nettle.
  14. 14
    Chironex fleckeri, an extremely venomous Australian box jellyfish.
  15. 15
    An improvised heating element used to boil or heat water in prison.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The thing stopped then and looked at me a moment as much as to say: "Why this thing has a stinger! I must be careful." And then it reached out its long neck and opened its mighty jaws and grabbed for me; but I wasn't there.
  2. The most commonly used tool in the horror score kit is the “sting” — a quick and loud jolt of sound that coincides with a frightening image or the attack of a killer or creature. “Stingers are a form of music that are unique to movies,” Young adds. “There’s no other venue of musicmaking that has a window of opportunity for writing these little splats of i…

Etymology

From sting + -er. Both figurative and literal senses appeared in the 16th century.

This word in other languages

aguijón(Español)aiguillon(Français)Stachel(Deutsch)ferrão(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sitnger
  • sstinger
  • stigner
  • stinegr
  • stingerr
  • stingger
  • stingre
  • stinnger
  • stniger
  • sttinger
  • tsinger

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sitnger2sstinger1stigner2stinegr2stingerr1stingger1stingre2stinnger1
Edit distance from "stinger"

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 "stinger"?
"stinger" is spelled S-T-I-N-G-E-R. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɪŋ.ə(ɹ)/.
What does "stinger" mean?
As a noun, "stinger" means: A pointed portion of an insect or arachnid used for attack.
What words are commonly confused with "stinger"?
"stinger" is commonly confused with "stoner", "stingy", "stunner". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stinger"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stinger" is /ˈstɪŋ.ə(ɹ)/. 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 "stinger"?
From sting + -er. Both figurative and literal senses appeared in the 16th century. 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 "stinger", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

stifled#32,194sulfide#32,200tableau#32,205slasher#32,184

Similar misspelling depth

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

soulmate11 variantsslimming11 variantsSkelton11 variantsselenium11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list