strange

/stɹeɪnd͡ʒ/

//stɹeɪnd͡ʒ// adj

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

"strange" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“strange” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #2,317. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,317
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
18
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Not normal; odd, unusual, surprising, out of the ordinary, often with a negative connotation.

Corpus desk

Index EN-strange · strange · English

strange · rank #2,317 · 11 variants · 18 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,317
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 18 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH smile

Nearest frequency peer: smile (-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.

Frequency neighbourhood for “strange”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “strange” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

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).

strange vs strong
71% similar
strange vs string
71% similar
strange vs strung
71% similar

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

Key facts for strange
PropertyValue
Headwordstrange
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/stɹeɪnd͡ʒ/
Letters7
Frequency rank#2,317
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs18
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “strange” sits in English frequency

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).strange lands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around strange (IPA /stɹeɪnd͡ʒ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,317 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 10 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for strange, with forms such as "srtange", "sstrange", and "starnge". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 18 confusable-pair relationships, "strong", "string", "strung", 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 straunge, strange, stronge, from Old French estrange, from Latin extrāneus (“that which is on the outside”). Doublet of extraneous and estrange. Cognate with French étrange (“strange, foreign”) and Spanish extraño (“strange, foreign”). L… The correct English form is strange, spelled S-T-R-A-N-G-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Not normal; odd, unusual, surprising, out of the ordinary, often with a negative connotation.
  2. 2
    Unfamiliar, not yet part of one's experience.
  3. 3
    Outside of one's current relationship; unfamiliar.
  4. 4
    Having the quantum mechanical property of strangeness.
  5. 5
    Of an attractor: having a fractal structure.
  6. 6
    Belonging to another country; foreign.
  7. 7
    Reserved; distant in deportment.
  8. 8
    Backward; slow.
  9. 9
    Not familiar; unaccustomed; inexperienced.
  10. 10
    Not belonging to one.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. He thought it strange that his girlfriend wore shorts in the winter.
  2. I do love nothing in the world so well as you: is not that strange?

Etymology

From Middle English straunge, strange, stronge, from Old French estrange, from Latin extrāneus (“that which is on the outside”). Doublet of extraneous and estrange. Cognate with French étrange (“strange, foreign”) and Spanish extraño (“strange, foreign”). Largely displaced native fremd, selcouth, and uncouth, from Old English fremede, seldcūþ, and uncūþ.

Synonyms

aberrantabnormalalienanomalousas queer as Dick's hatbandbizarrebookycuriousdeviantdiscrepanteerieeldritcherrantexceptionalextraordinaryfeyforbyfreakfreakishfreakyfremdfunnyheteroclitehinkyincongruousincongruitousirregularkookymonstrousnonstandardoddoutlandishout of the ordinaryoutrépeculiarquaintqueerqueer as a clockwork orangequeer as a nine bob notequeer as a three dollar billqueer as a cootqueer as Dick's hatbandrarerumrummyselcouthseldsingularstrangetrippyuncannyuncommonuncouthunconventionalunearthlyunexpectedunreasonableunusualunwontedweirdweirdsomeyampy

Antonyms

commonfamiliarinevitableintermediatemoderatenormal

This word in other languages

extraño(Español)étrange(Français)seltsam(Deutsch)esquisito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • srtange
  • sstrange
  • starnge
  • stragne
  • straneg
  • strangge
  • strannge
  • strnage
  • strrange
  • sttrange
  • tsrange

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

srtange2sstrange1starnge2stragne2straneg2strangge1strannge1strnage2
Edit distance from "strange"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of September 3, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "strange"?
"strange" is spelled S-T-R-A-N-G-E. The IPA pronunciation is /stɹeɪnd͡ʒ/.
What does "strange" mean?
As an adjective, "strange" means: Not normal; odd, unusual, surprising, out of the ordinary, often with a negative connotation.
What words are commonly confused with "strange"?
"strange" is commonly confused with "strong", "string", "strung". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "strange"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strange" is /stɹeɪnd͡ʒ/. 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 "strange"?
From Middle English straunge, strange, stronge, from Old French estrange, from Latin extrāneus (“that which is on the outside”). Doublet of extraneous and estrange. Cognate with French étrange (“strange, foreign”) and Spanish extraño (“strange, fo... 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 "strange", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

revenue#2,312reduced#2,309besides#2,328chicken#2,334

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

flowers11 variantscontext11 variantscoverage11 variantsdisplay11 variants

What to do next

You've looked up "strange". Here's where to go from here.

  • "strange" maps to 18 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "strong". View pair
  • 11 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #2,317 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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