stuffy

/ˈstʌfi/

//ˈstʌfi// adj

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

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

The verdict

“stuffy” has 8 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #28,035. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#28,035
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
8
tracked misspellings
10
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Poorly ventilated; partially plugged.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stuffy · stuffy · English

stuffy · rank #28,035 · 8 variants · 10 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,035
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 10 pairs
  • VAR-MID 8 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH stingy

Nearest frequency peer: stingy (-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 “stuffy”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “stuffy” 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).

stuffy vs sturdy
67% similar
stuffy vs study
67% similar
stuffy vs stuff
83% similar

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

Key facts for stuffy
PropertyValue
Headwordstuffy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈstʌfi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#28,035
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs10
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “stuffy”

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).stuffylands 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 “stingy” (#28,034), “Steinberg” (#28,033), “steamboat” (#28,032). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stuffy” is #28,035. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 8 spelling variants around stuffy (IPA /ˈstʌfi/), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #28,035 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 6 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for stuffy, with forms such as "sstuffy", "stfufy", and "sttuffy". 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 10 confusable-pair relationships, "sturdy", "study", "stuff", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Etymologically, the entry records: From stuff + -y. The correct English form is stuffy, spelled S-T-U-F-F-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Poorly ventilated; partially plugged.
  2. 2
    Uncomfortably warm without sufficient air circulation.
  3. 3
    Stout; mettlesome; resolute.
  4. 4
    Angry and obstinate; sulky.
  5. 5
    Boring, old-fashioned, uninteresting, over-formal, pompous, very conventional.
  6. 6
    Stout; sturdy.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. I can’t smell very well today – I have a stuffy nose.
  2. Let’s go outside – it’s getting stuffy in here.

Etymology

From stuff + -y.

This word in other languages

congestionado(Español)étouffant(Français)stickig(Deutsch)entupido(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sstuffy
  • stfufy
  • sttuffy
  • stuffyy
  • stufy
  • stufyf
  • sutffy
  • tsuffy

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stuffy - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

sstuffy1stfufy2sttuffy1stuffyy1stufy1stufyf2sutffy2tsuffy2
Edit distance from "stuffy"

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 "stuffy"?
"stuffy" is spelled S-T-U-F-F-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstʌfi/.
What does "stuffy" mean?
As an adjective, "stuffy" means: Poorly ventilated; partially plugged.
What words are commonly confused with "stuffy"?
"stuffy" is commonly confused with "sturdy", "study", "stuff". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stuffy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stuffy" is /ˈstʌfi/. 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 "stuffy"?
From stuff + -y. 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 "stuffy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

stingy#28,034tensor#28,048Simeon#28,020ticker#28,051

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (8 here; floor ≥5).

Seamus8 variantsToulon8 variantsroared8 variantswobbly8 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list