strait

/stɹeɪt/

//stɹeɪt// adj

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

"strait" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“strait” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #13,066. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#13,066
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Narrow; restricted as to space or room; close.

Corpus desk

Index EN-strait · strait · English

strait · rank #13,066 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #13,066
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stared

Nearest frequency peer: stared (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “strait”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “strait” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

strait vs strip
67% similar
strait vs straw
67% similar
strait vs strap
67% similar

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

Key facts for strait
PropertyValue
Headwordstrait
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/stɹeɪt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#13,066
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “strait”

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).straitlands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “stared” (#13,065), “suppressed” (#13,067), “sinister” (#13,064). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “strait” is #13,066. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around strait (IPA /stɹeɪt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #13,066 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 7 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for strait, with forms such as "srtait", "sstrait", and "starit". 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, "strip", "straw", "strap", 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 streit, from Old French estreit (modern form étroit), from Latin strictus, perfect passive participle of stringō (“compress, tighten”). Doublet of stretto and strict. The correct English form is strait, spelled S-T-R-A-I-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Narrow; restricted as to space or room; close.
  2. 2
    Righteous, strict.
  3. 3
    Tight; close; tight-fitting.
  4. 4
    Close; intimate; near; familiar.
  5. 5
    Difficult; distressful.
  6. 6
    Parsimonious; stingy; mean.
  7. 7
    Obsolete spelling of straight, now a misspelling of straight.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how strait appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Sweet oil was poured out on thy head And ran down like cool rain between The strait close locks it melted in.
  2. Where shall we keep the holiday, And duly greet the entering May? Too strait and low our cottage doors, And all unmeet our carpet floors; […]

Etymology

From Middle English streit, from Old French estreit (modern form étroit), from Latin strictus, perfect passive participle of stringō (“compress, tighten”). Doublet of stretto and strict.

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • srtait
  • sstrait
  • starit
  • straitt
  • strati
  • striat
  • strrait
  • sttrait
  • tsrait

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of strait - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

srtait2sstrait1starit2straitt1strati2striat2strrait1sttrait1
Edit distance from "strait"

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 "strait"?
"strait" is spelled S-T-R-A-I-T. The IPA pronunciation is /stɹeɪt/.
What does "strait" mean?
As an adjective, "strait" means: Narrow; restricted as to space or room; close.
What words are commonly confused with "strait"?
"strait" is commonly confused with "strip", "straw", "strap". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "strait"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strait" is /stɹeɪt/. 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 "strait"?
From Middle English streit, from Old French estreit (modern form étroit), from Latin strictus, perfect passive participle of stringō (“compress, tighten”). Doublet of stretto and strict. 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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "strait", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

stared#13,065Sylvia#13,068Sheikh#13,060shaken#13,059

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

Viking9 variantsrepost9 variantsAugusta9 variantsbarker9 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list