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” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #7,614 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#7,614
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To disturb the relative position of the particles (of a liquid or similar) by passing an object through it.

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.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for stir is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɜː/. Corpus data places it at rank #7,614 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 11 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

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.

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.

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.

Using “stir”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-I-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /stɜː/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “STR” - see the side-by-side comparison. stir vs STR
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list