strong

/stɹɒŋ/

//stɹɒŋ// adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

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

The verdict

“strong” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #614. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#614
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Capable of producing great physical force.

Corpus desk

Index EN-strong · strong · English

strong · rank #614 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-CORE #614
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 54,294
  • PHOTO-FINISH site

Nearest frequency peer: site (-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 “strong”

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

corpus weight

What this shows Bars show where “strong” 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 May 6, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

strong vs stung
67% similar
strong vs strung
83% similar
strong vs Stroud
50% similar

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

Key facts for strong
PropertyValue
Headwordstrong
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/stɹɒŋ/
Letters6
Frequency rank#614
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “strong” 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). strong lands here:

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

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around strong (IPA /stɹɒŋ/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #614 among 54,294 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 17 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for strong, with forms such as "srtong", "sstrong", and "storng". 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, "stung", "strung", "Stroud", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English strong, strang, from Old English strang (“strong”), from Proto-West Germanic *strang (“severe, strict, rigorous, strong”), from Proto-Germanic *strangaz (“tight, strict, straight, strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“taut, stif… The correct English form is strong, spelled S-T-R-O-N-G.

Definition

  1. 1
    Capable of producing great physical force.
  2. 2
    Capable of withstanding great physical force.
  3. 3
    Possessing power, might, or strength.
  4. 4
    Determined; unyielding.
  5. 5
    Highly stimulating to the senses.
  6. 6
    Having an offensive or intense odor or flavor.
  7. 7
    Having a high concentration of an essential or active ingredient.
  8. 8
    Having a high alcoholic content.
  9. 9
    Inflecting in a different manner than the one called weak, such as Germanic verbs which change vowels.
  10. 10
    That completely ionizes into anions and cations in a solution.
  11. 11
    Not easily subdued or taken.
  12. 12
    Having wealth or resources.
  13. 13
    Impressive, good.
  14. 14
    Having a specified number of people or units.
  15. 15
    Severe; very bad or intense.
  16. 16
    Having a wide range of logical consequences; widely applicable. (Often contrasted with a weak statement which it implies.)
  17. 17
    Convincing.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. a big strong man; Jake was tall and strong
  2. The man was nearly drowned after a strong undercurrent swept him out to sea.

Etymology

From Middle English strong, strang, from Old English strang (“strong”), from Proto-West Germanic *strang (“severe, strict, rigorous, strong”), from Proto-Germanic *strangaz (“tight, strict, straight, strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“taut, stiff, tight”). Cognate with Scots strang (“strong”), Saterland Frisian strang, West Frisian string (“austere, strict, harsh, severe, stern, stark, tough”), Dutch streng (“strict, severe, tight”), German streng (“strict, severe, austere”), Danish and Norwegian streng (“strong, hard”), Faroese and Icelandic strangur (“strict”), Norwegian strang (“strong, harsh, bitter”), Swedish sträng, strang (“severe, strict, harsh”), Latin stringō (“tighten”). Doublet of strict and string.

This word in other languages

fuerte(Español)fort(Français)stark(Deutsch)forte(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • srtong
  • sstrong
  • storng
  • strnog
  • strogn
  • strongg
  • stronng
  • strrong
  • sttrong
  • tsrong

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of strong - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

srtong2sstrong1storng2strnog2strogn2strongg1stronng1strrong1
Edit distance from "strong"

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.

PlainSpell is rendered directly from structured Wiktionary extracts and open word-frequency lists, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of May 6, 2026. Primary sources: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) and FrequencyWords.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "strong"?
"strong" is spelled S-T-R-O-N-G. The IPA pronunciation is /stɹɒŋ/.
What does "strong" mean?
As an adjective, "strong" means: Capable of producing great physical force.
What words are commonly confused with "strong"?
"strong" is commonly confused with "stung", "strung", "Stroud". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "strong"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "strong" is /stɹɒŋ/. 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 "strong"?
From Middle English strong, strang, from Old English strang (“strong”), from Proto-West Germanic *strang (“severe, strict, rigorous, strong”), from Proto-Germanic *strangaz (“tight, strict, straight, strong”), from Proto-Indo-European *strengʰ- (“... 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 "strong", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

you'll#615killed#607period#623record#625

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

include10 variantssimilar10 variantshappened10 variantsperfect10 variants
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