stirrup
/ˈstɝ.əp/noun, adjective
stirrup is spelled S-T-I-R-R-U-P: 7 letters and 2 syllables. It appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th most frequent word form (wordfreq, 2021 data). As a noun, stirrup means “A ring or hoop suspended by a rope or strap from the saddle, for a horseman's foot while mounting or riding” (English Wiktionary, September 2026). The plural of stirrup is stirrups.
How many letters and syllables are in stirrup?
| Letters | 7: S-T-I-R-R-U-P |
|---|---|
| Syllables | 2 (from its American pronunciation) |
| In writing | about once in every 4 million words; the 56,788th most frequent word form |
| Wrong spellings searched | none measured in search |
Sources: letters and syllables from the English Wiktionary's hyphenation or pronunciation and the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary; written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How common is stirrup?
Stirrup appears about once in every 4 million words in written English, the 56,788th most frequent word form in the list.
Source: written frequency: wordfreq 3.1 (a 2021 snapshot of Wikipedia, subtitles, news, books, web text and social media).
How do you pronounce stirrup?
- UK /ˈstɪ.ɹəp/
- UK /ˈstʌ.ɹəp/
- US /ˈstɝ.əp/
Stirrup has 2 syllables (counted from its American pronunciation in the CMU Pronouncing Dictionary).
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Recordings: LL-Q1860_(eng)-Vealhurl-stirrup.wav, Wikimedia Commons (author and licence on each file's page).
Forms of stirrup
- stirrups plural
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
What does stirrup mean?
The meanings the English Wiktionary records, quoted as written there (source below).
noun
- 1
A ring or hoop suspended by a rope or strap from the saddle, for a horseman's foot while mounting or riding.
- 2
Any piece shaped like the stirrup of a saddle, used as a support, clamp, etc.
- 3
A portable, flexible ladder-like device used in climbing.
- 4
A stapes.
- 5
A rope secured to a yard, with a thimble in its lower end for supporting a footrope.
For quotations using this term, see Citations:stirrup.
- 6
A bent rebar wrapped around the main rebars to reinforce against shear stress.
adjective
- 1
Referring to women's pants/trousers: being of a form, commonly worn by women, that includes a strap beneath the arch of the foot.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).
Stirrup in Spanish, French, German and Portuguese
In the sense footrest used by riders:
| Language | Words |
|---|---|
| French | étrier |
| German | Steigbügel |
| Portuguese | estribo, estribeira |
| Spanish | estribo, cubo, codillo, estribera, estafa, hondón |
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract). Translations are Wiktionary's, by sense; a linked word has its own PlainSpell page.
Where does stirrup come from?
From Middle English stirop, stirope, from Old English stiġrāp (“stirrup”), a compound of stiġe ("ascent, descent, a going up or down"; related to stīġan (“to climb”)) and rāp (“rope”), equivalent to sty + rope.
Source: English Wiktionary, dump of September 2, 2026 (CC BY-SA 4.0), through kaikki.org (Wiktextract).