sustain

/səˈsteɪn/

//səˈsteɪn// verb

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

"sustain" is a 7-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“sustain” has 10 generated spelling variants in the English index at frequency #7,987. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#7,987
frequency rank, English
6,566
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - To maintain, or keep in existence.

Corpus desk

Index EN-sustain · sustain · English

sustain · rank #7,987 · 10 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #7,987
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 6,566
  • PHOTO-FINISH Sullivan

Nearest frequency peer: Sullivan (-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 “sustain”

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

corpus weight

What this shows “sustain” 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).

sustain vs sustained
78% similar
sustain vs Susan
57% similar
sustain vs stain
71% similar

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

Key facts for sustain
PropertyValue
Headwordsustain
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechVerb
IPA/səˈsteɪn/
Letters7
Frequency rank#7,987
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Frequency seat of misspelling magnet “sustain”

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).sustainlands 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 “Sullivan” (#7,986), “tenure” (#7,988), “texture” (#7,989). Among 6,566 “S” headwords, “sustain” is #7,987. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around sustain (IPA /səˈsteɪn/), averb. Corpus frequency is #7,987 among 6,566 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 8 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for sustain, with forms such as "ssustain", "ssutain", and "susatin". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 4 confusable-pair relationships, "sustained", "Susan", "stain", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: From Middle English susteinen, sustenen, from Old French sustenir (French soutenir), from Latin sustineō, sustinēre (“to uphold”), from sub- (“from below, up”) + teneō (“hold”, verb). The correct English form is sustain, spelled S-U-S-T-A-I-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    To maintain, or keep in existence.
  2. 2
    To provide for or nourish.
  3. 3
    To encourage or sanction (something).
  4. 4
    To experience or suffer (an injury, etc.).
  5. 5
    To confirm, prove, or corroborate; to uphold.
  6. 6
    To allow, accept, or admit (e.g. an objection or motion) as valid.
  7. 7
    To keep from falling; to bear; to uphold; to support.
  8. 8
    To aid, comfort, or relieve; to vindicate.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. The professor had trouble sustaining students’ interest until the end of her lectures.
  2. The city came under sustained attack by enemy forces.

Etymology

From Middle English susteinen, sustenen, from Old French sustenir (French soutenir), from Latin sustineō, sustinēre (“to uphold”), from sub- (“from below, up”) + teneō (“hold”, verb).

This word in other languages

sostener(Español)maintenir(Français)unterhalten(Deutsch)suster(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • ssustain
  • ssutain
  • susatin
  • susstain
  • sustainn
  • sustani
  • sustian
  • susttain
  • sutsain
  • usstain

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of sustain - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

ssustain1ssutain2susatin2susstain1sustainn1sustani2sustian2susttain1
Edit distance from "sustain"

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 "sustain"?
"sustain" is spelled S-U-S-T-A-I-N. The IPA pronunciation is /səˈsteɪn/.
What does "sustain" mean?
As a verb, "sustain" means: To maintain, or keep in existence.
What words are commonly confused with "sustain"?
"sustain" is commonly confused with "sustained", "Susan", "stain". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "sustain"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sustain" is /səˈsteɪn/. 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 "sustain"?
From Middle English susteinen, sustenen, from Old French sustenir (French soutenir), from Latin sustineō, sustinēre (“to uphold”), from sub- (“from below, up”) + teneō (“hold”, verb). 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 "sustain", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

texture#7,989unclear#7,994revival#7,968readily#7,963

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Sullivan10 variantsaltitude10 variantspainter10 variantsoffended10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list