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strike

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

6 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

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Detailed reference entry for the English word "strike", 6-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "strike" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "strike" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

strike is aEnglishverb. It means: To delete or cross out; to scratch or eliminate. Pronounced /stɹaɪk/. It ranks #2,234 in English word frequency. Often confused with strip and string.

Key facts for strike
PropertyValue
Headwordstrike
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/stɹaɪk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#2,234
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of strike in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for strike is 6 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɹaɪk/. Corpus data places it at rank #2,234 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text.Wiktionary records 47 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 9 documented wrong-spelling variants for strike, with forms such as "srtike", "sstrike", and "stirke". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "strip", "string", "stroke", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stryken, from Old English strīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *strīkan, from Proto-Germanic *strīkaną, from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to stroke, rub, press”). Cognate with Dutch strijken, German streichen, Danish stryge, Icelandic str… Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is strike, spelled S-T-R-I-K-E, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To delete or cross out; to scratch or eliminate.
  2. 2
    To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.
  3. 3
    To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.
  4. 4
    To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.
  5. 5
    To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.
  6. 6
    To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.
  7. 7
    To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.
  8. 8
    To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.
  9. 9
    To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.
  10. 10
    To have a sharp or sudden physical effect, as of a blow.
  11. 11
    To thrust in; to cause to enter or penetrate.
  12. 12
    To infest the flesh of a living vertebrate.
  13. 13
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  14. 14
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  15. 15
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  16. 16
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  17. 17
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  18. 18
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  19. 19
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  20. 20
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  21. 21
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  22. 22
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  23. 23
    To have a sharp or severe effect on a more abstract level.
  24. 24
    To touch; to act by appulse.
  25. 25
    To hook (a fish) by a quick turn of the wrist.
  26. 26
    To take down, especially in the following contexts.
  27. 27
    To take down, especially in the following contexts.
  28. 28
    To take down, especially in the following contexts.
  29. 29
    To take down, especially in the following contexts.
  30. 30
    To take down, especially in the following contexts.
  31. 31
    To take down, especially in the following contexts.
  32. 32
    To set off on a walk or trip.
  33. 33
    To pass with a quick or strong effect; to dart; to penetrate.
  34. 34
    To break forth; to commence suddenly; with into.
  35. 35
    To become attached to something; said of the spat of oysters.
  36. 36
    To make and ratify; to reach; to find.
  37. 37
    To discover a source of something, often a buried raw material such as ore (especially gold) or crude oil.
  38. 38
    To level (a measure of grain, salt, etc.) with a straight instrument, scraping off what is above the level of the top.
  39. 39
    To cut off (a mortar joint, etc.) even with the face of the wall, or inward at a slight angle.
  40. 40
    To hit upon, or light upon, suddenly.
  41. 41
    To lade thickened sugar cane juice from a teache into a cooler.
  42. 42
    To stroke or pass lightly; to wave.
  43. 43
    To advance; to cause to go forward; used only in the past participle.
  44. 44
    To balance (a ledger or account).
  45. 45
    To become saturated with salt.
  46. 46
    To run, or fade in colour.
  47. 47
    To do menial work for an officer.

Etymology

From Middle English stryken, from Old English strīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *strīkan, from Proto-Germanic *strīkaną, from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to stroke, rub, press”). Cognate with Dutch strijken, German streichen, Danish stryge, Icelandic strýkja, strýkva.

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: srtike,sstrike,stirke,striek,strikke,strkie,strrike,sttrike,tsrike

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for strike

Misspelling Variants of "strike"

srtike6sstrike7stirke6striek6strikke7strkie6strrike7sttrike7
Misspelling Variants of "strike"

Frequency rank: #2,234 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "strike"?
"strike" is spelled S-T-R-I-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /stɹaɪk/.
What does "strike" mean?
As a verb, "strike" means: To delete or cross out; to scratch or eliminate.
What words are commonly confused with "strike"?
"strike" is commonly confused with "strip", "string", "stroke". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "strike"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strike" is /stɹaɪk/. 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 "strike"?
From Middle English stryken, from Old English strīcan, from Proto-West Germanic *strīkan, from Proto-Germanic *strīkaną, from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to stroke, rub, press”). Cognate with Dutch strijken, German streichen, Danish stryge, Ice... 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index:

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Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.