stroke

/stɹəʊk/

//stɹəʊk// noun

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

The verdict

“stroke” is a regularly-used English word, ranked #4,555 in English word frequency and used as a noun.

#4,555
frequency rank, English
6
letters
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

stroke vs strong
67% similar
stroke vs stroll
67% similar
stroke vs Stroud
50% similar

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

Key facts for stroke
PropertyValue
Headwordstroke
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/stɹəʊk/
Letters6
Frequency rank#4,555
Misspellings tracked9
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stroke” 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). stroke 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 stroke is 6 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /stɹəʊk/. Corpus data places it at rank #4,555 in overall English word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 34 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 stroke, with forms such as "srtoke", "sstroke", and "storke". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "strong", "stroll", "Stroud", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: The noun is derived from Middle English strok, stroke (“blow from a weapon, cut”), from Old English strāc, from Proto-West Germanic *straik, from Proto-Germanic *straikaz (“stroke”), from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to rub, stroke; to shear; to strike”).… The correct English form is stroke, spelled S-T-R-O-K-E.

Definition

  1. 1
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
  2. 2
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
  3. 3
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
  4. 4
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
  5. 5
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
  6. 6
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
  7. 7
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
  8. 8
    An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
  9. 9
    A movement similar to that of hitting.
  10. 10
    A movement similar to that of hitting.
  11. 11
    A movement similar to that of hitting.
  12. 12
    A movement similar to that of hitting.
  13. 13
    A movement similar to that of hitting.
  14. 14
    A movement similar to that of hitting.
  15. 15
    A movement similar to that of hitting.
  16. 16
    An act causing hurt or death, especially when seen as divine punishment.
  17. 17
    A damaging occurrence, especially if sudden; a blow, a calamity.
  18. 18
    An amount of work; specifically, a large amount of business or work.
  19. 19
    A powerful or sudden effort by which something is done or produced; also, something accomplished by such an effort; an achievement, a feat.
  20. 20
    A single movement of a paintbrush, chisel, pen, pencil, or similar implement; a line or mark made by such an implement.
  21. 21
    A single movement of a paintbrush, chisel, pen, pencil, or similar implement; a line or mark made by such an implement.
  22. 22
    A single movement of a paintbrush, chisel, pen, pencil, or similar implement; a line or mark made by such an implement.
  23. 23
    A single movement of a paintbrush, chisel, pen, pencil, or similar implement; a line or mark made by such an implement.
  24. 24
    A distinctive expression in a written composition; a touch.
  25. 25
    Influence; power.
  26. 26
    Influence; power.
  27. 27
    A masterful or effective action.
  28. 28
    A sudden interruption of blood supply to the brain, causing minor to major brain damage and possible death.
  29. 29
    An individual discharge of lightning, particularly if causing damage.
  30. 30
    An individual social interaction whereby one gives another attention or recognition.
  31. 31
    The effect or result of a striking; affliction or injury; a bruise or wound; soreness.
  32. 32
    Chiefly in to have a good stroke: appetite.
  33. 33
    A sudden attack of any illness, especially if causing loss of consciousness or movement, or when fatal.
  34. 34
    A bow or pluck of a string or strings of a stringed instrument; also, the manner in which a musical instrument is played; hence, a melody, a tune.

Etymology

The noun is derived from Middle English strok, stroke (“blow from a weapon, cut”), from Old English strāc, from Proto-West Germanic *straik, from Proto-Germanic *straikaz (“stroke”), from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to rub, stroke; to shear; to strike”). Sense 3.6.2.2 (“the oblique, slash, or virgule (‘/’)”) is a contraction of oblique stroke, a variant of oblique which was originally used in telegraphy. The verb is derived from the noun. Cognates * German Streich (“stroke”) * Middle Low German strēk (“stroke, trick, prank”) * Scots strak, strake, straik (“blow, stroke”)

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: srtoke,sstroke,storke,strkoe,stroek,strokke,strroke,sttroke,tsroke

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stroke - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

srtoke2sstroke1storke2strkoe2stroek2strokke1strroke1sttroke1
Edit distance from "stroke"

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 "stroke"?
"stroke" is spelled S-T-R-O-K-E. The IPA pronunciation is /stɹəʊk/.
What does "stroke" mean?
As a noun, "stroke" means: An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.
What words are commonly confused with "stroke"?
"stroke" is commonly confused with "strong", "stroll", "Stroud". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stroke"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stroke" is /stɹəʊk/. 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 "stroke"?
The noun is derived from Middle English strok, stroke (“blow from a weapon, cut”), from Old English strāc, from Proto-West Germanic *straik, from Proto-Germanic *straikaz (“stroke”), from Proto-Indo-European *streyg- (“to rub, stroke; to shear; to... 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 “stroke”

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

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