string
/stɹɪŋ/
"string" is a 6-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.
The verdict
“string” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,658 in English word frequency and used as a noun.
- #3,658
- frequency rank, English
- 6
- letters
- 10
- tracked misspellings
- 20
- confusable pairs
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together.
Visual similarity to commonly confused words
How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).
Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | string |
| Language | English |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | /stɹɪŋ/ |
| Letters | 6 |
| Frequency rank | #3,658 |
| Misspellings tracked | 10 |
| Confusable pairs | 20 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “string” sits in English frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The English entry for string is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɹɪŋ/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,658 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 31 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.
Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for string, with forms such as "srting", "sstring", and "stirng". 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, "strip", "swing", "suing", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.
Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English string, streng, strynge, from Old English strenġ, from Proto-West Germanic *strangi, from Proto-Germanic *strangiz (“string”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“rope, cord, strand; to tighten”). Cognate with Scots string (“string”), D… The correct English form is string, spelled S-T-R-I-N-G.
Definition
- 1A long, thin and flexible structure made from threads twisted together.
- 2Any similar long, thin and flexible object.
- 3Any similar long, thin and flexible object.
- 4A thread or cord on which a number of objects or parts are strung or arranged in close and orderly succession; hence, a line or series of things arranged on a thread, or as if so arranged.
- 5A cohesive substance taking the form of a string.
- 6A series of items or events.
- 7A slightly elevated (long, thin) peat ridge in a bog.
- 8The members of a sports team or squad regarded as most likely to achieve success. (Perhaps metaphorical as the "strings" that hold the squad together.) Often first string, second string etc.
- 9In various games and competitions, a certain number of turns at play, of rounds, etc.
- 10A drove of horses, or a group of racehorses kept by one owner or at one stable.
- 11An ordered sequence of text characters stored consecutively in memory and capable of being processed as a single entity.
- 12A stringed instrument.
- 13The stringed instruments as a section of an orchestra, especially those played by a bow, or the persons playing those instruments.
- 14The conditions and limitations in a contract collectively.
- 15A tiny one-dimensional string-like entity, the main object of study in string theory, a branch of theoretical physics.
- 16Cannabis or marijuana.
- 17Part of the game of billiards, where the order of the play is determined by testing who can get a ball closest to the bottom rail by shooting it onto the end rail.
- 18The buttons strung on a wire by which the score is kept.
- 19The points made in a game of billiards.
- 20The line from behind and over which the cue ball must be played after being out of play, as by being pocketed or knocked off the table; also called the string line.
- 21A strip, as of leather, by which the covers of a book are held together.
- 22A fibre, as of a plant; a little fibrous root.
- 23A nerve or tendon of an animal body.
- 24A board supporting steps
- 25An inside range of ceiling planks, corresponding to the sheer strake on the outside and bolted to it.
- 26The tough fibrous substance that unites the valves of the pericarp of leguminous plants.
- 27A small, filamentous ramification of a metallic vein.
- 28A stringcourse.
- 29A hoax; a fake story.
- 30Synonym of stable (“group of prostitutes managed by one pimp”).
- 31A column of drill pipe that transmits drilling fluid (using the mud pumps) and torque (using the kelly drive or top drive) to the drill bit.
Etymology
From Middle English string, streng, strynge, from Old English strenġ, from Proto-West Germanic *strangi, from Proto-Germanic *strangiz (“string”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“rope, cord, strand; to tighten”). Cognate with Scots string (“string”), Dutch streng (“cord, strand”), Low German strenge (“strand, cord, rope”), German Strang (“strand, cord, rope”), Danish streng (“string”), Swedish sträng (“string, cord, wire”), Icelandic strengur (“string”), Latvian stringt (“to be tight, wither”), Latin stringō (“I tighten”), Ancient Greek στραγγαλόομαι (strangalóomai, “to strangle”), from στραγγάλη (strangálē, “halter”), Ancient Greek στραγγός (strangós, “tied together, entangled, twisted”).
Synonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: srting,sstring,stirng,strign,stringg,strinng,strnig,strring,sttring,tsring
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of string - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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
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Using “string”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct English spelling is S-T-R-I-N-G - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as /stɹɪŋ/ (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. string 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.