stumpy

/ˈstʌmpi/

//ˈstʌmpi// adj

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

The verdict

“stumpy” is uncommon English (frequency #67,080 among 6,566 “S” headwords), classed as an adjective. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,080
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Like or resembling a stump; short and cut off.

Corpus desk

Index EN-stumpy · stumpy · English

stumpy · rank #67,080 · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-RARE #67,080
  • LEN-LONG 6 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Stranraer

Nearest frequency peer: Stranraer (-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.

Long-tail ranks near “stumpy”

Sparse band: bars invert rank so rarer forms read shorter

corpus weight

What this shows Long-tail view: where “stumpy” sits against similarly uncommon English ranks.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026
Key facts for stumpy
PropertyValue
Headwordstumpy
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechAdjective
IPA/ˈstʌmpi/
Letters6
Frequency rank#67,080
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Long-tail rank of “stumpy” in English

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).stumpyfalls in this rarity band:

#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. Rare peers in the same band: “Stranraer” (#67,079), “stupa” (#67,081), “Strafford” (#67,078). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “stumpy” is #67,080. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

stumpy is uncommon English at frequency #67,080 among 6,566 “S” headwords, classed as anadjective, transcribed /ˈstʌmpi/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 2 senses are on record.

We couldn't generate a plausible misspelling set for stumpy, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. No close-neighbour confusable shows up for this headword in our dataset, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.

Etymologically, the entry records: From stump + -y. The correct English form is stumpy, spelled S-T-U-M-P-Y.

Definition

  1. 1
    Like or resembling a stump; short and cut off.
  2. 2
    Full of stumps.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. “That’s better. Gilbert Goodie! I should have known it was you. The one-legged layabout. The uni-ped idler. The stumpy skiver. Stealing coins from a wishing well now, are we? You couldn’t make it up!”
  2. a stumpy forest

Etymology

From stump + -y.

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 "stumpy"?
"stumpy" is spelled S-T-U-M-P-Y. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstʌmpi/.
What does "stumpy" mean?
As an adjective, "stumpy" means: Like or resembling a stump; short and cut off.
How do you pronounce "stumpy"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stumpy" is /ˈstʌmpi/. 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 "stumpy"?
From stump + -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 "stumpy", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

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

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list