# stoker

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈstoʊkɚ/ · frequency rank #35,537

## Definitions
1. A person who stokes, especially one on a steamship or steam train, who stokes coal in the boilers.
2. A device for stoking a fire; a poker.
3. A device that feeds coal into a furnace, etc., automatically.
4. A person who pedals on the back of a tandem bicycle.

## Etymology
From Middle Dutch stoker (“stoker”), from Middle Dutch stoken (“to stoke, incite”, literally “to poke, jab, thrust”), ultimately equivalent to stoke + -er. More at stoke.
Compare typologically Russian кочега́р (kočegár) (akin to кочерга́ (kočergá, “poker”)).

## Easily confused with
- **store** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-store)
- **stone** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stone)
- **stole** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stole)
- **stove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stove)
- **Stowe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stowe)
- **stores** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stores)
- **stolen** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stolen)
- **Stones** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stones)
- **stroke** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stroke)
- **storey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-storey)
- **sucker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-sucker)
- **stokes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stokes)
- **stoned** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stoned)
- **stoner** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stoner)
- **stowed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stowed)
- **stoney** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stoney)
- **stover** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stover)
- **striker** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-striker)
- **strokes** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-strokes)
- **stopper** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/stoker-vs-stopper)

## Common misspellings (9)
`sotker`, `sstoker`, `stkoer`, `stoekr`, `stokerr`, `stokker`, `stokre`, `sttoker`, `tsoker`

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