story

/ˈstɔː.ɹi/

//ˈstɔː.ɹi// noun

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

"story" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“story” is in the everyday core of English, ranked #341 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#341
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An account of real or fictional events.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

story vs STR
0% similar
story vs stow
60% similar
story vs study
60% similar

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

Key facts for story
PropertyValue
Headwordstory
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɔː.ɹi/
Letters5
Frequency rank#341
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “story” 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). story 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 story is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈstɔː.ɹi/. Corpus data places it at rank #341 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 7 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for story, with forms such as "sotry", "sstory", and "storry". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "STR", "stow", "study", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English storie, storye, from Anglo-Norman estorie by aphesis, from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ῐ̔στορῐ́ᾱ (hĭstorĭ́ā, “learning through research”). Doublet of history and storey. The correct English form is story, spelled S-T-O-R-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    An account of real or fictional events.
  2. 2
    A lie, fiction.
  3. 3
    A soap opera.
  4. 4
    History.
  5. 5
    A sequence of events, or a situation, such as might be related in an account.
  6. 6
    A chronological collection of pictures or short videos published by a user on an application or website that is typically only available for a short period.
  7. 7
    Ellipsis of user story.

Etymology

From Middle English storie, storye, from Anglo-Norman estorie by aphesis, from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ῐ̔στορῐ́ᾱ (hĭstorĭ́ā, “learning through research”). Doublet of history and storey.

This word in other languages

relato(Español)histoire(Français)Erzählung(Deutsch)estória(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sotry,sstory,storry,storyy,stoyr,stroy,sttory,tsory

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of story - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

sotry2sstory1storry1storyy1stoyr2stroy2sttory1tsory2
Edit distance from "story"

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 "story"?
"story" is spelled S-T-O-R-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɔː.ɹi/.
What does "story" mean?
As a noun, "story" means: An account of real or fictional events.
What words are commonly confused with "story"?
"story" is commonly confused with "STR", "stow", "study". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "story"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "story" is /ˈstɔː.ɹi/. 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 "story"?
From Middle English storie, storye, from Anglo-Norman estorie by aphesis, from Latin historia, from Ancient Greek ῐ̔στορῐ́ᾱ (hĭstorĭ́ā, “learning through research”). Doublet of history and storey. 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 “story”

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

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