strip

/stɹɪp/

//stɹɪp// noun

"strip" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“strip” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #3,911 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,911
frequency rank, English
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A long, thin piece of land; any long, thin area.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

strip vs Syria
40% similar
strip vs syrup
60% similar
strip vs stump
60% similar

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

Key facts for strip
PropertyValue
Headwordstrip
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stɹɪp/
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,911
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “strip” 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). strip 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 strip is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɹɪp/. Corpus data places it at rank #3,911 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 13 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for strip, with forms such as "srtip", "sstrip", and "stirp". 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, "Syria", "syrup", "stump", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From alteration of stripe or from Middle Low German strippe, of uncertain ultimate origin, perhaps derived from a lost strong verb Proto-Germanic *strīpaną, with no clear cognates outside of Germanic except for Irish sríab (“line, stripe”). The correct English form is strip, spelled S-T-R-I-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    A long, thin piece of land; any long, thin area.
  2. 2
    A long, thin piece of any material; any such material collectively.
  3. 3
    A comic strip.
  4. 4
    A landing strip.
  5. 5
    A strip steak.
  6. 6
    A street with multiple shopping or entertainment possibilities.
  7. 7
    The playing area, roughly 14 meters by 2 meters.
  8. 8
    The uniform of a football team, or the same worn by supporters.
  9. 9
    A trough for washing ore.
  10. 10
    The issuing of a projectile from a rifled gun without acquiring the spiral motion.
  11. 11
    A television series aired at the same time daily (or at least on Mondays to Fridays), so that it appears as a strip straight across the weekly schedule.
  12. 12
    An investment strategy involving simultaneous trade with one call and two put options on the same security at the same strike price, similar to but more bearish than a straddle.
  13. 13
    A strip club.

Etymology

From alteration of stripe or from Middle Low German strippe, of uncertain ultimate origin, perhaps derived from a lost strong verb Proto-Germanic *strīpaną, with no clear cognates outside of Germanic except for Irish sríab (“line, stripe”).

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: srtip,sstrip,stirp,stripp,strpi,strrip,sttrip,tsrip

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

srtip2sstrip1stirp2stripp1strpi2strrip1sttrip1tsrip2
Edit distance from "strip"

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 "strip"?
"strip" is spelled S-T-R-I-P. The IPA pronunciation is /stɹɪp/.
What does "strip" mean?
As a noun, "strip" means: A long, thin piece of land; any long, thin area.
What words are commonly confused with "strip"?
"strip" is commonly confused with "Syria", "syrup", "stump". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "strip"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strip" is /stɹɪp/. 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 "strip"?
From alteration of stripe or from Middle Low German strippe, of uncertain ultimate origin, perhaps derived from a lost strong verb Proto-Germanic *strīpaną, with no clear cognates outside of Germanic except for Irish sríab (“line, stripe”). 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 “strip”

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

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-R-I-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /stɹɪp/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Syria” - see the side-by-side comparison. strip vs Syria
  • 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