stubborn

/ˈstʌbɚn/

//ˈstʌbɚn// adj

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

"stubborn" is a 8-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stubborn” has 11 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #10,286. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#10,286
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
11
tracked misspellings
1
confusable pair

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Refusing to move or to change one's opinion; obstinate; firmly resisting; persistent in doing something.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stubborn · stubborn · English

stubborn · rank #10,286 · 11 variants · 1 confusable

  • FREQ-MID #10,286
  • LEN-LONG 8 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-LOW 1 pairs
  • VAR-MID 11 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stripes

Nearest frequency peer: stripes (-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.

Rank peers near misspelling magnet “stubborn”

Same rarity band: useful when a typo lands on a peer headword

corpus weight

What this shows “stubborn” sits among these FrequencyWords peers; misspelling depth is tracked separately in the edit-distance chart.

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).

stubborn vs stubbornly
80% similar

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

Key facts for stubborn
PropertyValue
Headwordstubborn
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈstʌbɚn/
Letters8
Frequency rank#10,286
Misspellings tracked11
Confusable pairs1
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stubborn”

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).stubbornlands here:

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

The axis is logarithmic, with each marked tick roughly ten times rarer than the last. Same rarity band neighbours include “stripes” (#10,285), “summoned” (#10,287), “Stockholm” (#10,284). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stubborn” is #10,286. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 11 spelling variants around stubborn (IPA /ˈstʌbɚn/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #10,286 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 2 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 11 likely wrong-spelling variants for stubborn, with forms such as "sstubborn", "stbuborn", and "sttubborn". 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 1 confusable-pair relationship, "stubbornly", since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English stiborne, stibourne, stoburn, stoburne, styburne, stiborn, of uncertain origin; one hypothesis is that it may be from Old English *stybbor, from Old English stybb (“a stump, stub”) + -or (adjective-formation suffix, as in bitor, whence E… The correct English form is stubborn, spelled S-T-U-B-B-O-R-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Refusing to move or to change one's opinion; obstinate; firmly resisting; persistent in doing something.
  2. 2
    Of materials: physically stiff and inflexible; not easily melted or worked.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. People are pretty stubborn about their political beliefs, so why bother arguing?
  2. Blood can make a very stubborn stain on fabrics if not washed properly.

Etymology

From Middle English stiborne, stibourne, stoburn, stoburne, styburne, stiborn, of uncertain origin; one hypothesis is that it may be from Old English *stybbor, from Old English stybb (“a stump, stub”) + -or (adjective-formation suffix, as in bitor, whence English bitter).

Synonyms

willfulheadstrongwaywardobstinateobduratecontrarydisobedientinsubordinateundisciplinedadamantunyieldingrebelliousperseverantpersistentenduring

This word in other languages

testarudo(Español)têtu(Français)stur(Deutsch)teimoso(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sstubborn
  • stbuborn
  • sttubborn
  • stubbonr
  • stubbornn
  • stubborrn
  • stubbron
  • stubobrn
  • stuborn
  • sutbborn
  • tsubborn

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

sstubborn1stbuborn2sttubborn1stubbonr2stubbornn1stubborrn1stubbron2stubobrn2
Edit distance from "stubborn"

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 "stubborn"?
"stubborn" is spelled S-T-U-B-B-O-R-N. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstʌbɚn/.
What does "stubborn" mean?
As an adjective, "stubborn" means: Refusing to move or to change one's opinion; obstinate; firmly resisting; persistent in doing something.
What words are commonly confused with "stubborn"?
"stubborn" is commonly confused with "stubbornly". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stubborn"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stubborn" is /ˈstʌbɚn/. 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 "stubborn"?
From Middle English stiborne, stibourne, stoburn, stoburne, styburne, stiborn, of uncertain origin; one hypothesis is that it may be from Old English *stybbor, from Old English stybb (“a stump, stub”) + -or (adjective-formation suffix, as in bitor... 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 "stubborn", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 8 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

summoned#10,287shipment#10,277unlocked#10,304unveiled#10,306

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (11 here; floor ≥5).

stripes11 variantstackles11 variantsshelves11 variantsunusually11 variants

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list