strap

/stɹæp/

//stɹæp// noun

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

The verdict

“strap” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #9,825. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#9,825
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A long, narrow, pliable strip of leather, cloth, or the like.

Corpus desk

Index EN-strap · strap · English

strap · rank #9,825 · 8 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #9,825
  • LEN-MID 5 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH starving

Nearest frequency peer: starving (-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 “strap”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “strap” 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).

strap vs swap
60% similar
strap vs sura
60% similar
strap vs strip
80% similar

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

Key facts for strap
PropertyValue
Headwordstrap
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stɹæp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#9,825
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “strap” sits in English frequency

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).straplands 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 “starving” (#9,824), “subjective” (#9,826), “stall” (#9,823). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around strap (IPA /stɹæp/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #9,825 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 15 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for strap, with forms such as "srtap", "sstrap", and "starp". 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, "swap", "sura", "strip", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From a variant of earlier strope (“loop on a harness”), from Middle English strope, stroppe, from Late Old English strop, stropp (“a band, thong, strap; oar-thong”) and Old French estrope (“strap, loop on a harness”), both from Latin stroppus, struppus (“st… The correct English form is strap, spelled S-T-R-A-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long, narrow, pliable strip of leather, cloth, or the like.
  2. 2
    A long, narrow, pliable strip of leather, cloth, or the like.
  3. 3
    A strip of thick leather used in flogging.
  4. 4
    Something made of such a strip, or of a part of one, or a combination of two or more for a particular use.
  5. 5
    A piece of leather, or strip of wood covered with a suitable material, used to hone the sharpened edge of a razor; a strop.
  6. 6
    A narrow strip of anything, as of iron or brass.
  7. 7
    A narrow strip of anything, as of iron or brass.
  8. 8
    The flat part of the corolla in ligulate florets, as those of the white circle in the daisy.
  9. 9
    The leaf, exclusive of its sheath, in some grasses.
  10. 10
    A gun, normally a personal firearm such as a pistol or machine pistol.
  11. 11
    Credit offered to a customer, especially for alcoholic drink.
  12. 12
    A strap-on.
  13. 13
    Synonym of strapline.
  14. 14
    A championship belt, or by extension, the title.
  15. 15
    An investment strategy involving simultaneous trade with one put and two call options on the same security at the same strike price, similar to but more bullish than a straddle.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The patter of feet, and clatter of strap and swivel, seemed to swell into a bewildering din, but they were almost upon the fielato offices, where the carretera entered the town, before a rifle flashed.
  2. a lively cobbler, that […] had scarce passed a day in his life without giving her [his wife] the discipline of the strap.

Etymology

From a variant of earlier strope (“loop on a harness”), from Middle English strope, stroppe, from Late Old English strop, stropp (“a band, thong, strap; oar-thong”) and Old French estrope (“strap, loop on a harness”), both from Latin stroppus, struppus (“strap”), from Ancient Greek στρόφος (stróphos, “rope”) (compare strophe), from στρέφω (stréphō, “to twist”), ultimately from Proto-Indo-European *strebʰ- (compare Proto-West Germanic *stroppōn (“to twist, writhe”)). Cognate with Scots strap, strop (“strap, band, thong”), Dutch strop (“noose, strop, loop”), Low German Strop (“strap”), German Struppe, Strüppe, Strippe (“string, cord”), Danish strop (“strap”), Swedish stropp (“strap, loop”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • srtap
  • sstrap
  • starp
  • strapp
  • strpa
  • strrap
  • sttrap
  • tsrap

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

srtap2sstrap1starp2strapp1strpa2strrap1sttrap1tsrap2
Edit distance from "strap"

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 "strap"?
"strap" is spelled S-T-R-A-P. The IPA pronunciation is /stɹæp/.
What does "strap" mean?
As a noun, "strap" means: A long, narrow, pliable strip of leather, cloth, or the like.
What words are commonly confused with "strap"?
"strap" is commonly confused with "swap", "sura", "strip". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "strap"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strap" is /stɹæp/. 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 "strap"?
From a variant of earlier strope (“loop on a harness”), from Middle English strope, stroppe, from Late Old English strop, stropp (“a band, thong, strap; oar-thong”) and Old French estrope (“strap, loop on a harness”), both from Latin stroppus, str... 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 "strap", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 5 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

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

  • "strap" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "swap". View pair
  • 8 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #9,825 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