stroke

/stɹəʊk/

//stɹəʊk// noun

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

The verdict

“stroke” has 9 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #4,555. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#4,555
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
9
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - An act of hitting; a blow, a hit.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stroke · stroke · English

stroke · rank #4,555 · 9 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #4,555
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 9 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH sized

Nearest frequency peer: sized (-1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbourhood for “stroke”

Lower corpus rank = more everyday usage (inverted bar length for readability)

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “stroke” sits against the nearest ranked English headwords in the FrequencyWords band, not a reprint of letter-browse containment.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

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

This scale runs from the tiny cluster of words that carry ordinary speech (left) to the long tail of words almost nobody reaches for (right).strokelands here:

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

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “sized” (#4,554), “stunning” (#4,556), “shocked” (#4,553). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 9 spelling variants around stroke (IPA /stɹəʊk/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #4,555 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 34 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

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.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how stroke appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. a stroke on the chin
  2. Hee paſſed the vvhole length of Italie vvithout reſiſtance, […] He likevviſe entred and vvonne (in effect) the vvhole Kingdome of Naples it ſelfe, vvithout ſtriking ſtroke.

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.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "stroke", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 6 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (9 here; floor ≥5).

What to do next

You've looked up "stroke". Here's where to go from here.

  • "stroke" maps to 20 confusable pairs in this vintage; the highest-scored is "strong". View pair
  • 9 edit-distance misspelling variants are generated for spell-check research on this headword. See variants
  • Usage frequency rank #4,555 among English headwords in this corpus. Corpus statistics
  • Browse more English words in the "S" letter cohort. S–Z browse
  • PlainSpell rotates a curated Word of the Day from the English corpus, a passive way to discover vocabulary. Word of the Day

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

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