stovepipe

Name: stovepipe, English Word Data
Creator: Wiktionary
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

noun

By PlainSpell · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) · analyzed May 6, 2026

The verdict

“stovepipe” is uncommon English (frequency #92,111 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#92,111
frequency rank, English: 54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Sheet-metal tubing used as a chimney for a stove or furnace.

Key facts for stovepipe
Property	Value
Headword	stovepipe
Language	English
Part of speech	Noun
Letters	9
Frequency rank	#92,111
Misspellings tracked	0
Confusable pairs	0
Source	Wiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stovepipe” 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). stovepipe lands here:

#92,111

#1#100#1K#10K#100K

← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

stovepipe is uncommon English at frequency #92,111 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 5 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for stovepipe in our index, since its letter sequence doesn't invite the usual edit-distance slips. It is not paired with a close-neighbour confusable in our dataset, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

Etymologically, the entry records: From stove + pipe. The firearms sense is due to the trapped cartridge case resembling a stovepipe of the stove sense. The correct English form is stovepipe, spelled S-T-O-V-E-P-I-P-E.

Definition

1
Sheet-metal tubing used as a chimney for a stove or furnace.
2
A channel for information which is compartmentalized in such a manner that some parties who might be interested in its use or able to make use of it are restricted from accessing it.
3
A stovepipe hat.
4
A type of malfunction affecting breechloading firearms, where a spent cartridge casing fails to eject completely, instead becoming stuck in the firearm's ejection port, usually oriented vertically or nearly so.
5
A trench mortar such as the Stokes mortar.

Etymology

From stove + pipe. The firearms sense is due to the trapped cartridge case resembling a stovepipe of the stove sense.

This word in other languages

Ofenrohr(Deutsch)

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 "stovepipe"?

"stovepipe" is spelled S-T-O-V-E-P-I-P-E.

What does "stovepipe" mean?

As a noun, "stovepipe" means: Sheet-metal tubing used as a chimney for a stove or furnace.

What is the origin of the word "stovepipe"?

From stove + pipe. The firearms sense is due to the trapped cartridge case resembling a stovepipe of the stove sense. 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 “stovepipe”

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

The one correct English spelling is S-T-O-V-E-P-I-P-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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.