stop

/stɒp/

//stɒp// verb

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

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

The verdict

“stop” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #283 in English word frequency and used as a verb.

#283
frequency rank, English
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To cease moving.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

stop vs sup
50% similar
stop vs STR
0% similar
stop vs STS
0% similar

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

Key facts for stop
PropertyValue
Headwordstop
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/stɒp/
Letters4
Frequency rank#283
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stop” 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). stop 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 stop is 4 letters long, classified as a verb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɒp/. Corpus data places it at rank #283 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 14 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 stop, with forms such as "sotp", "sstop", and "stopp". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sup", "STR", "STS", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stoppen, stoppien, from Old English stoppian (“to stop, close”), from Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn, from Proto-Germanic *stuppōną (“to stop, close”), *stuppijaną (“to push, pierce, prick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp-, *(s)tewb- (… The correct English form is stop, spelled S-T-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    To cease moving.
  2. 2
    Not to continue.
  3. 3
    To cause (something) to cease moving or progressing.
  4. 4
    To cease; to no longer continue.
  5. 5
    To cause (something) to come to an end.
  6. 6
    To interrupt, prevent or end the activity of someone or something.
  7. 7
    To close or block an opening.
  8. 8
    To adjust the aperture of a camera lens.
  9. 9
    To stay; to spend a short time; to reside or tarry temporarily.
  10. 10
    To regulate the sounds of (musical strings, etc.) by pressing them against the fingerboard with the finger, or otherwise shortening the vibrating part.
  11. 11
    To punctuate.
  12. 12
    To make fast; to stopper.
  13. 13
    To pronounce (a phoneme) as a stop.
  14. 14
    To delay the purchase or sale of (a stock) while agreeing the price for later.

Etymology

From Middle English stoppen, stoppien, from Old English stoppian (“to stop, close”), from Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn, from Proto-Germanic *stuppōną (“to stop, close”), *stuppijaną (“to push, pierce, prick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp-, *(s)tewb- (“to push; stick”), from *(s)tew- (“to bump; impact; butt; push; beat; strike; hit”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian stopje (“to stop, block”), West Frisian stopje (“to stop”), Dutch stoppen (“to stop”), Low German stoppen (“to stop”), German stopfen (“to be filling, stuff”), German stoppen (“to stop”), Danish stoppe (“to stop”), Swedish stoppa (“to stop”), Icelandic stoppa (“to stop”), Middle High German stupfen, stüpfen (“to pierce”). More at stuff, stump. Alternative etymology derives Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn from an assumed Vulgar Latin *stūpāre, *stuppāre (“to stop up with tow”), from stūpa, stīpa, stuppa (“tow, flax, oakum”), from Ancient Greek στύπη (stúpē), στύππη (stúppē, “tow, flax, oakum”). This derivation, however, is doubtful, as the earliest instances of the Germanic verb do not carry the meaning of "stuff, stop with tow". Rather, these senses developed later in response to influence from similar sounding words in Latin and Romance.

Synonyms

brakedesisthaltblinceasediscontinueterminatearrestfreezeblincancelhang abouthang aroundlingerloiterpauselodgestop overanchorastanddraw upgrind to a haltholdimmobilizeleave offreststallstaystintstopswike

Antonyms

continuegomoveproceedcontinueproceedcontinuemovecontinuemoveaccelerateset in motion

This word in other languages

parar(Español)s'arrêter(Français)anhalten(Deutsch)parar(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sotp,sstop,stopp,stpo,sttop,tsop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stop - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

sotp2sstop1stopp1stpo2sttop1tsop2
Edit distance from "stop"

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 "stop"?
"stop" is spelled S-T-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is /stɒp/.
What does "stop" mean?
As a verb, "stop" means: To cease moving.
What words are commonly confused with "stop"?
"stop" is commonly confused with "sup", "STR", "STS". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stop" is /stɒp/. 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 "stop"?
From Middle English stoppen, stoppien, from Old English stoppian (“to stop, close”), from Proto-West Germanic *stoppōn, from Proto-Germanic *stuppōną (“to stop, close”), *stuppijaną (“to push, pierce, prick”), from Proto-Indo-European *(s)tewp-, *... 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 “stop”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-O-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /stɒp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “sup” - see the side-by-side comparison. stop vs sup
  • 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