stratum

/ˈstɹɑː.təm/

//ˈstɹɑː.təm// noun

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

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

The verdict

“stratum” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #43,396. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#43,396
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
6
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - One of several parallel horizontal layers of material arranged one on top of another.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stratum · stratum · English

stratum · rank #43,396 · 11 variants · 6 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #43,396
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 6 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH strangeness

Nearest frequency peer: strangeness (-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 “stratum”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stratum” 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).

stratum vs Straus
57% similar
stratum vs strat
71% similar
stratum vs status
71% similar

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

Key facts for stratum
PropertyValue
Headwordstratum
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstɹɑː.təm/
Letters7
Frequency rank#43,396
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs6
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stratum”

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right).stratumlands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Same rarity band neighbours include “strangeness” (#43,395), “strenuously” (#43,397), “stranding” (#43,394). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stratum” is #43,396. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around stratum (IPA /ˈstɹɑː.təm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #43,396 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for stratum, with forms such as "srtatum", "sstratum", and "startum". 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 6 confusable-pair relationships, "Straus", "strat", "status", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin strātum (“a spread for a bed, coverlet, quilt, blanket; a pillow, bolster; a bed”), neuter singular of strātus, perfect passive participle of sternō (“spread”). Doublet of estrade. The correct English form is stratum, spelled S-T-R-A-T-U-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    One of several parallel horizontal layers of material arranged one on top of another.
  2. 2
    A layer of sedimentary rock having approximately the same composition throughout.
  3. 3
    Any of the regions of the atmosphere, such as the stratosphere, that occur as layers.
  4. 4
    A layer of tissue.
  5. 5
    A class of society composed of people with similar social, cultural, or economic status.
  6. 6
    A layer of vegetation, usually of similar height.
  7. 7
    The level of accuracy of a computer's clock, relative to others on the network.
  8. 8
    A historical layer of a language.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. It is built of alternate strata of brick and clay, and the sides correspond to the direction of the meridians and parallels.
  2. He describes the operation thus: "The heavy ram employed to impart the finishing strokes, hoisted up with double purchase and snail's pace to the summit of the Piling Engine, and then falling down like a thunderbolt on the head of the devoted timber, driving it perhaps a single half inch in to the stratum below, is well calculated to put to the test the v…

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin strātum (“a spread for a bed, coverlet, quilt, blanket; a pillow, bolster; a bed”), neuter singular of strātus, perfect passive participle of sternō (“spread”). Doublet of estrade.

This word in other languages

estrato(Español)couche(Français)Bank(Deutsch)estrato(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • srtatum
  • sstratum
  • startum
  • stratmu
  • strattum
  • stratumm
  • strautm
  • strratum
  • strtaum
  • sttratum
  • tsratum

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

srtatum2sstratum1startum2stratmu2strattum1stratumm1strautm2strratum1
Edit distance from "stratum"

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 "stratum"?
"stratum" is spelled S-T-R-A-T-U-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstɹɑː.təm/.
What does "stratum" mean?
As a noun, "stratum" means: One of several parallel horizontal layers of material arranged one on top of another.
What words are commonly confused with "stratum"?
"stratum" is commonly confused with "Straus", "strat", "status". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stratum"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stratum" is /ˈstɹɑː.təm/. 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 "stratum"?
Borrowed from Latin strātum (“a spread for a bed, coverlet, quilt, blanket; a pillow, bolster; a bed”), neuter singular of strātus, perfect passive participle of sternō (“spread”). Doublet of estrade. 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 "stratum", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

surmise#43,399swindle#43,401starlet#43,388spastic#43,381

Similar misspelling depth

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

thawing11 variantsthinnest11 variantsslugging11 variantssinglet11 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list