strict

/stɹɪkt/

//stɹɪkt// adj

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

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

The verdict

“strict” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,898. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,898
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 2, 2026) - Strained; drawn close; tight.

Corpus desk

Index EN-strict · strict · English

strict · rank #4,898 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,898
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stealing

Nearest frequency peer: stealing (-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 “strict”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “strict” 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 2, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

strict vs strip
67% similar
strict vs strut
67% similar
strict vs strike
67% similar

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

Key facts for strict
PropertyValue
Headwordstrict
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/stɹɪkt/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,898
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “strict” 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). strict lands here:

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

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

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around strict (IPA /stɹɪkt/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #4,898 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for strict, with forms such as "srtict", "sstrict", and "stirct". 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", "strut", "strike", and more, a pairing that trips writers up because the two words share enough sound or shape to blur together.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere (“to draw tight, bind, contract”). Doublet of strait and stretto. See stringent, strain. Related to strong. The correct English form is strict, spelled S-T-R-I-C-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    Strained; drawn close; tight.
  2. 2
    Tense; not relaxed.
  3. 3
    Exact; accurate; precise; rigorously particular.
  4. 4
    Governed or governing by exact rules; observing exact rules; severe; rigorous.
  5. 5
    Rigidly interpreted; exactly limited; confined; restricted.
  6. 6
    Upright, or straight and narrow; — said of the shape of the plants or their flower clusters.
  7. 7
    Severe in discipline.
  8. 8
    Irreflexive; if the described object is defined to be reflexive, that condition is overridden and replaced with irreflexive.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. strict embrace
  2. strict ligature

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere (“to draw tight, bind, contract”). Doublet of strait and stretto. See stringent, strain. Related to strong.

This word in other languages

estricto(Español)strict(Français)streng(Deutsch)apertado(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • srtict
  • sstrict
  • stirct
  • strcit
  • stricct
  • strictt
  • stritc
  • strrict
  • sttrict
  • tsrict

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of strict - 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.

srtict2sstrict1stirct2strcit2stricct1strictt1stritc2strrict1
Edit distance from "strict"

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 2, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "strict"?
"strict" is spelled S-T-R-I-C-T. The IPA pronunciation is /stɹɪkt/.
What does "strict" mean?
As an adjective, "strict" means: Strained; drawn close; tight.
What words are commonly confused with "strict"?
"strict" is commonly confused with "strip", "strut", "strike". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "strict"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strict" is /stɹɪkt/. 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 "strict"?
Borrowed from Latin strictus, past participle of stringere (“to draw tight, bind, contract”). Doublet of strait and stretto. See stringent, strain. Related to strong. 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 "strict", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

serial#4,892rubber#4,890recipe#4,886worlds#4,910

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

secured10 variantsbearing10 variantsbiology10 variantscheaper10 variants
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