strife

/stɹaɪf/

//stɹaɪf// noun

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

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

The verdict

“strife” is a moderately-common English word, ranked #17,254 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#17,254
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Striving; earnest endeavor; hard work.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

strife vs strip
67% similar
strife vs strike
83% similar
strife vs string
67% similar

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

Key facts for strife
PropertyValue
Headwordstrife
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stɹaɪf/
Letters6
Frequency rank#17,254
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “strife” 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). strife lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for strife is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɹaɪf/. Corpus data places it at rank #17,254 in overall English word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. Wiktionary records 5 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 9 likely wrong-spelling variants for strife, with forms such as "srtife", "sstrife", and "stirfe". 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", "strike", "string", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English strif, stryf, striffe, from Old French estrif, noun derived from estriver, from Frankish *strīban; compare Dutch strijven. More at strive. The correct English form is strife, spelled S-T-R-I-F-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    Striving; earnest endeavor; hard work.
  2. 2
    Exertion or contention for superiority, either by physical or intellectual means.
  3. 3
    Bitter conflict, sometimes violent.
  4. 4
    A trouble of any kind.
  5. 5
    That which is contended against; occasion of contest.

Etymology

From Middle English strif, stryf, striffe, from Old French estrif, noun derived from estriver, from Frankish *strīban; compare Dutch strijven. More at strive.

Synonyms

conflictcontentiondiscorddissensionstruggle

This word in other languages

disensión(Español)différends(Français)Streit(Deutsch)conflito(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: srtife,sstrife,stirfe,strfie,strief,striffe,strrife,sttrife,tsrife

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

srtife2sstrife1stirfe2strfie2strief2striffe1strrife1sttrife1
Edit distance from "strife"

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 "strife"?
"strife" is spelled S-T-R-I-F-E. The IPA pronunciation is /stɹaɪf/.
What does "strife" mean?
As a noun, "strife" means: Striving; earnest endeavor; hard work.
What words are commonly confused with "strife"?
"strife" is commonly confused with "strip", "strike", "string". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "strife"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strife" is /stɹaɪf/. 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 "strife"?
From Middle English strif, stryf, striffe, from Old French estrif, noun derived from estriver, from Frankish *strīban; compare Dutch strijven. More at strive. 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.

Using “strife”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-R-I-F-E - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /stɹaɪf/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “strip” - see the side-by-side comparison. strife vs strip
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list