stipend

/ˈstaɪpɛnd/

//ˈstaɪpɛnd// noun

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

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

The verdict

“stipend” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,742. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,742
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A regular fixed payment made to someone (especially a clergyman, judge, soldier, or teacher) for services provided by them; a salary.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stipend · stipend · English

stipend · rank #28,742 · 11 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,742
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stanza

Nearest frequency peer: stanza (-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 “stipend”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stipend” 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).

stipend vs suspend
71% similar
stipend vs striped
71% similar
stipend vs spend
71% similar

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

Key facts for stipend
PropertyValue
Headwordstipend
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstaɪpɛnd/
Letters7
Frequency rank#28,742
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stipend”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).stipendlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “stanza” (#28,741), “stakeholder” (#28,740), “superannuation” (#28,744). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stipend” is #28,742. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around stipend (IPA /ˈstaɪpɛnd/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #28,742 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for stipend, with forms such as "sitpend", "sstipend", and "stiepnd". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "suspend", "striped", "spend", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Late Middle English stipend, stipende (“salary, wage”) [and other forms], from Old French stipende, stipendie, from Latin stīpendium (“contribution; dues; impost, tax; tribute; military pay or stipend; military service”), from *stip… The correct English form is stipend, spelled S-T-I-P-E-N-D.

Definition

  1. 1
    A regular fixed payment made to someone (especially a clergyman, judge, soldier, or teacher) for services provided by them; a salary.
  2. 2
    Some other form of fixed (and generally small) payment occurring at regular intervals, such as an allowance, a pension, or (obsolete) a tax.
  3. 3
    A scholarship granted to a student.
  4. 4
    Money which is earned; an income.
  5. 5
    A one-off payment for a service provided.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He ſent for Ariſtotle (the greateſt Philoſopher in his time, & beſt learned) to teach his ſonne, vnto vvhom he gaue honorable ſtipend.
  2. For Cynthia doth in ſciences abound, / And giues to their profeſſors ſtipends large.

Etymology

The noun is derived from Late Middle English stipend, stipende (“salary, wage”) [and other forms], from Old French stipende, stipendie, from Latin stīpendium (“contribution; dues; impost, tax; tribute; military pay or stipend; military service”), from *stipipendium, *stippendium, from stips (“alms; contribution, donation, gift”) (ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *steyp- (“erect; stiff”)) + pendere (the present active infinitive of pendō (“to cause to hang down or suspend; to weigh, weigh out; (hence) to pay”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *(s)pend- (“to pull; to spin; to stretch”)) + -ium (suffix forming abstract nouns). The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * Italian stipendio * Portuguese estipêndio * Spanish estipendio

This word in other languages

estipendio(Español)rente(Français)Stipendium(Deutsch)estipêndio(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sitpend
  • sstipend
  • stiepnd
  • stipedn
  • stipendd
  • stipennd
  • stipned
  • stippend
  • stpiend
  • sttipend
  • tsipend

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sitpend2sstipend1stiepnd2stipedn2stipendd1stipennd1stipned2stippend1
Edit distance from "stipend"

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 "stipend"?
"stipend" is spelled S-T-I-P-E-N-D. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstaɪpɛnd/.
What does "stipend" mean?
As a noun, "stipend" means: A regular fixed payment made to someone (especially a clergyman, judge, soldier, or teacher) for services provided by them; a salary.
What words are commonly confused with "stipend"?
"stipend" is commonly confused with "suspend", "striped", "spend". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stipend"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stipend" is /ˈstaɪpɛnd/. 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 "stipend"?
The noun is derived from Late Middle English stipend, stipende (“salary, wage”) [and other forms], from Old French stipende, stipendie, from Latin stīpendium (“contribution; dues; impost, tax; tribute; military pay or stipend; military service”), ... 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 "stipend", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

Spiegel#28,737sweetly#28,747sparing#28,735sneaker#28,730

Similar misspelling depth

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

skimming11 variantstumbled11 variantsscrubbed11 variantssaucepan11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list