# storey

> English word · Noun · IPA /ˈstɔː.ɹɪ/ · frequency rank #12,868

## Definitions
1. A floor or level of a building or ship.
2. A vertical level in certain letters, such as a and g.
3. A building; an edifice.

## Etymology
From Middle English story, via Medieval Latin historia (“narrative, illustraton, frieze”) from Ancient Greek ἱστορίᾱ (historíā, “learning through research”). The current sense arose from narrative friezes on upper levels of medieval buildings, esp. churches. Doublet of story and history.
An alternative etymology derives Middle English story from Old French *estoree (“a thing built, building”), from estoree (“built”), feminine past participle of estorer (“to build”), from Latin instaurare (“to construct, build, erect”), but this seems unlikely since historia already had the meaning "storey of a building" in Anglo-Latin.

## Easily confused with
- **story** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-story)
- **storm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-storm)
- **stray** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-stray)
- **stove** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-stove)
- **swore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-swore)
- **Stowe** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-stowe)
- **stork** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-stork)
- **strep** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-strep)
- **storms** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-storms)
- **Surrey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-surrey)
- **stormy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-stormy)
- **sturdy** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-sturdy)
- **stowed** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-stowed)
- **stover** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-stover)
- **stories** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-stories)
- **storied** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/storey-vs-storied)
- **sore** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sore-vs-storey)
- **sorry** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/sorry-vs-storey)
- **store** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/store-vs-storey)
- **score** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/score-vs-storey)

## Common misspellings (9)
`sotrey`, `sstorey`, `stoery`, `storeyy`, `storrey`, `storye`, `stroey`, `sttorey`, `tsorey`

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