styrofoam

/ˈstaɪ.ɹə.fəʊm/

//ˈstaɪ.ɹə.fəʊm// noun

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

"styrofoam" is a 9-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“styrofoam” has 14 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #39,589. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#39,589
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
14
tracked misspellings

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.

Corpus desk

Index EN-styrofoam · styrofoam · English

styrofoam · rank #39,589 · 14 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #39,589
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-4 4 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 14 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH strikeout

Nearest frequency peer: strikeout (-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 “styrofoam”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “styrofoam” 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
Key facts for styrofoam
PropertyValue
Headwordstyrofoam
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈstaɪ.ɹə.fəʊm/
Letters9
Frequency rank#39,589
Misspellings tracked14
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “styrofoam”

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).styrofoamlands 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 “strikeout” (#39,588), “subprime” (#39,591), “STP” (#39,586). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “styrofoam” is #39,589. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 14 spelling variants around styrofoam (IPA /ˈstaɪ.ɹə.fəʊm/), anoun. Corpus frequency is #39,589 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Dominant gloss: "Expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.".

Our generated misspelling index lists 14 likely wrong-spelling variants for styrofoam, with forms such as "sstyrofoam", "stryofoam", and "sttyrofoam". 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. 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: Genericized trademark of Styrofoam, from -styr- (from polystyrene) + -o- + foam. The correct English form is styrofoam, spelled S-T-Y-R-O-F-O-A-M.

Definition

  1. 1
    Expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. A while ago I read your column concerning the effects of hot tea on styrofoam cups.
  2. In the past two years, NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope has located nearly 3,000 exoplanet candidates ranging from sub-Earth-sized minions to gas giants that dwarf our own Jupiter. Their densities range from that of styrofoam to iron.

Etymology

Genericized trademark of Styrofoam, from -styr- (from polystyrene) + -o- + foam.

This word in other languages

poliestireno expandido(Español)polystyrène(Français)Styropor(Deutsch)esferovite(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • sstyrofoam
  • stryofoam
  • sttyrofoam
  • styorfoam
  • styrfooam
  • styrofaom
  • styroffoam
  • styrofoamm
  • styrofoma
  • styroofam
  • styrrofoam
  • styyrofoam
  • sytrofoam
  • tsyrofoam

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of styrofoam - 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.

sstyrofoam1stryofoam2sttyrofoam1styorfoam2styrfooam2styrofaom2styroffoam1styrofoamm1
Edit distance from "styrofoam"

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 "styrofoam"?
"styrofoam" is spelled S-T-Y-R-O-F-O-A-M. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈstaɪ.ɹə.fəʊm/.
What does "styrofoam" mean?
As a noun, "styrofoam" means: Expanded polystyrene foam, such as is used in cups and packaging.
What are common misspellings of "styrofoam"?
Common misspellings include "sstyrofoam", "stryofoam", "sttyrofoam", "styorfoam", "styrfooam". The correct spelling is "styrofoam".
How do you pronounce "styrofoam"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "styrofoam" is /ˈstaɪ.ɹə.fəʊm/. 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 "styrofoam"?
Genericized trademark of Styrofoam, from -styr- (from polystyrene) + -o- + foam. 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 "styrofoam", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

strikeout#39,588spatially#39,577Southgate#39,574unguarded#39,625

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (14 here; floor ≥5).

searchers14 variantsreplaying14 variantsraindrops14 variantsprismatic14 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list