stupa

/ˈstuːpə/

//ˈstuːpə// noun

"stupa" is a 5-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“stupa” is uncommon English (frequency #67,081 among 54,294 “S” headwords), classed as a noun. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

#67,081
frequency rank, English
54,294
“S” headwords

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - A dome-shaped Buddhist monument, used to house relics of the Lord Buddha.

Key facts for stupa
PropertyValue
Headwordstupa
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstuːpə/
Letters5
Frequency rank#67,081
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stupa” 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). stupa lands here:

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

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

Rare enough to double-check

stupa is uncommon English at frequency #67,081 among 54,294 “S” headwords, classed as anoun, transcribed /ˈstuːpə/. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. Gloss: "A dome-shaped Buddhist monument, used to house relics of the Lord Buddha.".

No misspelling variants are generated for stupa in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable English rules. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since nothing in our dataset looks or sounds close enough to cause mix-ups.

Etymologically, the entry records: Learned borrowing from Sanskrit स्तूप (stūpa). Doublet of tope. The correct English form is stupa, spelled S-T-U-P-A.

Definition

  1. 1
    A dome-shaped Buddhist monument, used to house relics of the Lord Buddha.

Etymology

Learned borrowing from Sanskrit स्तूप (stūpa). Doublet of tope.

This word in other languages

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 "stupa"?
"stupa" is spelled S-T-U-P-A. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstuːpə/.
What does "stupa" mean?
As a noun, "stupa" means: A dome-shaped Buddhist monument, used to house relics of the Lord Buddha.
How do you pronounce "stupa"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stupa" is /ˈstuːpə/. 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 "stupa"?
Learned borrowing from Sanskrit स्तूप (stūpa). Doublet of tope. 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.

Using “stupa”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct English spelling is S-T-U-P-A - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as /ˈstuːpə/ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Browse more English words and confusable pairs in the same reference. English words

Other uncommon English words near this rank

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