stop down

verb

"stop-down" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stop down” is outside the top-ranked English vocabulary, used as a verb - the kind of word writers most often double-check.

Unranked
below top-frequency English
9
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - To decrease the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a lower number to an f/stop represented by a higher number.

Key facts for stop down
PropertyValue
Headwordstop down
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
Letters9
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stop down” sits in English frequency

stop down falls outside the top-100,000 ranked English words, the long-tail zone of technical, archaic, or low-frequency vocabulary, exactly where readers second-guess spellings most.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for stop down is 9 letters long, classified as a verb. It sits outside the most-frequent rank tiers, which is often why uncommon words generate more spelling variants per reader. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "To decrease the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a lower number to an f/stop represented by a higher number.".

stop down doesn't appear in our generated misspelling index, a sign its spelling follows regular English conventions. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, since its spelling is unusual enough that it doesn't cluster with a lookalike.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct English form is stop down, spelled S-T-O-P- -D-O-W-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To decrease the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a lower number to an f/stop represented by a higher number.

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "stop down"?
"stop down" is spelled S-T-O-P- -D-O-W-N.
What does "stop down" mean?
As a verb, "stop down" means: To decrease the aperture of a photographic lens, moving from an f/stop represented by a lower number to an f/stop represented by a higher number.
What language does "stop down" come from?
"stop down" is a English word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 down”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-O-P- -D-O-W-N - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • 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