stir

/stɜː/

//stɜː// verb

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

"stir" is a 4-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stir” has 6 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,614. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,614
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - To disturb the relative position of the particles (of a liquid or similar) by passing an object through it.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stir · stir · English

stir · rank #7,614 · 6 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,614
  • LEN-MID 4 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 6 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sprint

Nearest frequency peer: sprint (-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 “stir”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “stir” 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 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

stir vs STR
0% similar
stir vs STS
0% similar
stir vs Stu
25% similar

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

Key facts for stir
PropertyValue
Headwordstir
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/stɜː/
Letters4
Frequency rank#7,614
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stir” 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). stir 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 6 spelling variants around stir (IPA /stɜː/), averb. Corpus frequency is #7,614 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 11 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for stir, with forms such as "sitr", "sstir", and "stirr". 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, "STR", "STS", "Stu", 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 Middle English stiren, sturien, steren, from Old English styrian (“to be in motion, move, agitate, stir, disturb, trouble”), from Proto-Germanic *sturiz (“turmoil, noise, confusion”), related to Proto-West Germanic *staurijan (“to destroy, disturb”). C… The correct English form is stir, spelled S-T-I-R.

Definition

  1. 1
    To disturb the relative position of the particles (of a liquid or similar) by passing an object through it.
  2. 2
    To disturb the content of (a container) by passing an object through it.
  3. 3
    To emotionally affect; to touch, to move.
  4. 4
    To incite to action.
  5. 5
    To bring into debate; to agitate.
  6. 6
    To disturb, to disrupt.
  7. 7
    To change the place of in any manner; to move.
  8. 8
    To begin to move, especially gently, from a still or unmoving position.
  9. 9
    Of a feeling or emotion: to rise, begin to be felt.
  10. 10
    To be in motion; to be active or bustling; to exert or busy oneself.
  11. 11
    To rise from sleep or unconsciousness.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. She stirred the pudding with a spoon.
  2. He stirred his coffee so the sugar wouldn't stay at the bottom.

Etymology

From Middle English stiren, sturien, steren, from Old English styrian (“to be in motion, move, agitate, stir, disturb, trouble”), from Proto-Germanic *sturiz (“turmoil, noise, confusion”), related to Proto-West Germanic *staurijan (“to destroy, disturb”). Cognate with Old Norse styrr (“turmoil, noise, confusion”), German stören (“to disturb”), Dutch storen (“to disturb”).

This word in other languages

revolver(Español)remuer(Français)rühren(Deutsch)mexer(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sitr
  • sstir
  • stirr
  • stri
  • sttir
  • tsir

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sitr2sstir1stirr1stri2sttir1tsir2
Edit distance from "stir"

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 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "stir"?
"stir" is spelled S-T-I-R. The IPA pronunciation is /stɜː/.
What does "stir" mean?
As a verb, "stir" means: To disturb the relative position of the particles (of a liquid or similar) by passing an object through it.
What words are commonly confused with "stir"?
"stir" is commonly confused with "STR", "STS", "Stu". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stir"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stir" is /stɜː/. 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 "stir"?
From Middle English stiren, sturien, steren, from Old English styrian (“to be in motion, move, agitate, stir, disturb, trouble”), from Proto-Germanic *sturiz (“turmoil, noise, confusion”), related to Proto-West Germanic *staurijan (“to destroy, di... 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 "stir", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 4 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Sara#7,605toes#7,625trek#7,628unto#7,633

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (6 here; floor ≥5).

waist6 variantsmelt6 variantsKatie6 variantsbrake6 variants
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