stint

/stɪnt/

//stɪnt// verb

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

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

The verdict

“stint” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #12,867. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#12,867
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To stop (an action); cease, desist.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stint · stint · English

stint · rank #12,867 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #12,867
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH spectacle

Nearest frequency peer: spectacle (-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 “stint”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stint” 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).

stint vs suit
60% similar
stint vs stir
60% similar
stint vs stun
60% similar

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

Key facts for stint
PropertyValue
Headwordstint
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/stɪnt/
Letters5
Frequency rank#12,867
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stint”

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).stintlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “spectacle” (#12,866), “storey” (#12,868), “suicidal” (#12,869). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stint” is #12,867. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around stint (IPA /stɪnt/), averb. Corpus frequency is #12,867 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for stint, with forms such as "sitnt", "sstint", and "stinnt". 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, "suit", "stir", "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 stinten, from Old English styntan (“to make blunt”) and *stintan (attested in āstintan (“to make dull, stint, assuage”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stuntijan, from Proto-Germanic *stuntijaną and Proto-Germanic *stintaną (“to make short”)… The correct English form is stint, spelled S-T-I-N-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    To stop (an action); cease, desist.
  2. 2
    To stop speaking or talking (of a subject).
  3. 3
    To be sparing or mean.
  4. 4
    To restrain within certain limits; to bound; to restrict to a scant allowance.
  5. 5
    To assign a certain task to (a person), upon the performance of which he/she is excused from further labour for that day or period; to stent.
  6. 6
    To impregnate successfully; to get with foal.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. We mon haue payne that neuer shall stynt
  2. O do thy cruell wrath and spightfull wrong / At length allay, and stint thy stormy strife […]

Etymology

From Middle English stinten, from Old English styntan (“to make blunt”) and *stintan (attested in āstintan (“to make dull, stint, assuage”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stuntijan, from Proto-Germanic *stuntijaną and Proto-Germanic *stintaną (“to make short”), probably influenced in some senses by cognate Old Norse *stynta, stytta (“to make short, shorten”).

This word in other languages

cesar(Español)geizen(Deutsch)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sitnt
  • sstint
  • stinnt
  • stintt
  • stitn
  • stnit
  • sttint
  • tsint

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stint - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

sitnt2sstint1stinnt1stintt1stitn2stnit2sttint1tsint2
Edit distance from "stint"

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 "stint"?
"stint" is spelled S-T-I-N-T. The IPA pronunciation is /stɪnt/.
What does "stint" mean?
As a verb, "stint" means: To stop (an action); cease, desist.
What words are commonly confused with "stint"?
"stint" is commonly confused with "suit", "stir", "stun". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stint"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stint" is /stɪnt/. 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 "stint"?
From Middle English stinten, from Old English styntan (“to make blunt”) and *stintan (attested in āstintan (“to make dull, stint, assuage”)), from Proto-West Germanic *stuntijan, from Proto-Germanic *stuntijaną and Proto-Germanic *stintaną (“to ma... 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 "stint", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

slips#12,861rusty#12,855Rosie#12,852resin#12,850

Similar misspelling depth

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

tailor8 variantsunseen8 variantswaiter8 variantspigeon8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list