English Word Reference Free

study

Definition, pronunciation, etymology, and usage for the English word. Free spelling reference powered by Wiktionary.

Letters

5 characters

Language

English

word origin

Source

Wiktionary

open dictionary

Access

Free

no sign-up needed

Detailed reference entry for the English word "study", 5-letters, with pronunciation in International Phonetic Alphabet notation, etymology traced through Germanic and Romance roots where applicable, common misspelling variants catalogued from Hunspell error dictionaries, and usage frequency ranked against the top 100,000 English words in the Wordfreq corpus. PlainSpell covers English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German spelling with confusable-pair detection that highlights visually and phonetically similar words. This entry for "study" includes synonyms, antonyms, homophones, and cross-language translation pointers sourced from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org extract. Whether you are verifying the correct spelling of "study" for academic writing, checking homophone confusion, or exploring etymological origins, this page provides a citation-backed, free reference that requires no sign-up.

study is aEnglishverb. It means: To review materials already learned in order to make sure one does not forget them, usually in preparation for an examination. Pronounced /ˈstʌd.i/. It ranks #554 in English word frequency. Often confused with sud and stun.

Key facts for study
PropertyValue
Headwordstudy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/ˈstʌd.i/
Letters5
Frequency rank#554
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency rank visualization

Position of study in English word frequency (lower rank = more common)

Source: Wordfreq corpus

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The English entry for study is 5 letters long, classified as averb, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as /ˈstʌd.i/. Corpus data places it at rank #554 in overall English word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language.Wiktionary records 6 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our Hunspell-derived misspelling index lists 8 documented wrong-spelling variants for study, with forms such as "sstudy", "stduy", and "sttudy". Each variant represents a distinct typo pattern that appears often enough in corpora to be worth flagging, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution.It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "sud", "stun", "SUNY", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: Inherited from Middle English studien, from Old French estudier (Modern French étudier), from estudie (noun), borrowed from Latin studium. Displaced Old English cneordlæcan. Root origin matters for spelling because borrowed morphemes (Greek, Latin, Old French, Old English) carry their source-language orthographic conventions into modern English, which is why historical etymology is often the cleanest predictor of whether a cluster like "-ough", "-eau", or "-tion" will appear. For readers arriving here from a spelling check, the authoritative guidance is: the correct English form is study, spelled S-T-U-D-Y, and any other sequence of those letters, regardless of how natural it feels, is a misspelling in standard orthography.

Definition

  1. 1
    To review materials already learned in order to make sure one does not forget them, usually in preparation for an examination.
  2. 2
    To take a course or courses on a subject.
  3. 3
    To acquire knowledge on a subject with the intention of applying it in practice.
  4. 4
    To look at carefully and minutely.
  5. 5
    To fix the mind closely upon a subject; to dwell upon anything in thought; to muse; to ponder.
  6. 6
    To endeavor diligently; to be zealous.

Etymology

Inherited from Middle English studien, from Old French estudier (Modern French étudier), from estudie (noun), borrowed from Latin studium. Displaced Old English cneordlæcan.

Synonyms

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sstudy,stduy,sttudy,studdy,studyy,stuyd,sutdy,tsudy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

Relative frequency of common misspelling types for study

Misspelling Variants of "study"

sstudy6stduy5sttudy6studdy6studyy6stuyd5sutdy5tsudy5
Misspelling Variants of "study"

Frequency rank: #554 in English

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "study"?
"study" is spelled S-T-U-D-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstʌd.i/.
What does "study" mean?
As a verb, "study" means: To review materials already learned in order to make sure one does not forget them, usually in preparation for an examination.
What words are commonly confused with "study"?
"study" is commonly confused with "sud", "stun", "SUNY". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "study"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "study" is /ˈstʌd.i/. 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 "study"?
Inherited from Middle English studien, from Old French estudier (Modern French étudier), from estudie (noun), borrowed from Latin studium. Displaced Old English cneordlæcan. 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.

Nearby English words

Other entries that begin with the letter S in our English index:

Explore PlainSpell

Data Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Frequency data from Wordfreq. Misspellings derived from Hunspell dictionaries.