# stoke

> English word · Verb · IPA /stəʊk/ · frequency rank #10,775

## Definitions
1. To poke, pierce, thrust.

## Etymology
From Middle English stoken, from Middle Dutch stoken (“to poke, thrust”) or Middle Low German stoken (“to poke, thrust”), from Old Dutch *stokon or Old Saxon *stokon, both from Proto-West Germanic *stokōn, from Proto-Germanic *stukōną (“to be stiff, push”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewg- (“to push, beat”).
Cognate with Middle High German stoken (“to pierce, jab”), Norwegian Nynorsk stauka (“to push, thrust”). Alternative etymology derives the Middle English word from Old French estoquer, estochier (“to thrust, strike”), from the same Germanic source. More at stock.

## Easily confused with
- **stop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stop)
- **stow** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stow)
- **story** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-story)
- **style** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-style)
- **store** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-store)
- **stone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stone)
- **storm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-storm)
- **stood** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stood)
- **stops** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stops)
- **stole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stole)
- **stove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stove)
- **swore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-swore)
- **stool** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stool)
- **stout** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stout)
- **stony** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stony)
- **stomp** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stomp)
- **stoop** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stoop)
- **Stowe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stowe)
- **stork** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stork)
- **Stoll** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoke-vs-stoll)

## Common misspellings (7)
`sotke`, `sstoke`, `stkoe`, `stoek`, `stokke`, `sttoke`, `tsoke`

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/word/stoke