stop

\stɔp\

/\stɔp\/ noun

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

The verdict

“stop” is a regularly-used French word, ranked #3,422 in French word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,422
frequency rank, French
4
letters
6
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - Signalisation routière indiquant aux automobilistes qu’ils doivent marquer un arrêt et vérifier que la voie est libre avant de passer. Elle est composée dans de nombreux pays d’un panneau octogonal...

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

stop vs SVP
0% similar
stop vs stp
75% similar
stop vs sup
50% similar

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

Key facts for stop
PropertyValue
Headwordstop
LanguageFrench
Part of speechNoun
IPA\stɔp\
Letters4
Frequency rank#3,422
Misspellings tracked6
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stop” sits in French 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). stop lands here:

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

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

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The French entry for stop is 4 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as \stɔp\. Corpus data places it at rank #3,422 in overall French word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 3 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 6 likely wrong-spelling variants for stop, with forms such as "sotp", "sstop", and "stopp". 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 20 confusable-pair relationships, "SVP", "stp", "sup", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct French form is stop, spelled S-T-O-P.

Definition

  1. 1
    Signalisation routière indiquant aux automobilistes qu’ils doivent marquer un arrêt et vérifier que la voie est libre avant de passer. Elle est composée dans de nombreux pays d’un panneau octogonal rouge avec l’inscription éponyme « STOP », et d’une bande blanche peinte au sol matérialisant la zone où doit s’arrêter l’avant du véhicule.
  2. 2
    Feu de signalisation, à l’arrière d’une automobile ou d’une moto qui s’allume quand on freine.
  3. 3
    Dans un télégramme, sert à séparer les phrases ou segments à la place du point.

Synonyms

arrêtarrêt-stop

This word in other languages

stop sign(English)pare(Español)Stoppschild(Deutsch)stop(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sotp,sstop,stopp,stpo,sttop,tsop

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stop - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

sotp2sstop1stopp1stpo2sttop1tsop2
Edit distance from "stop"

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 French corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "stop"?
"stop" is spelled S-T-O-P. The IPA pronunciation is \stɔp\.
What does "stop" mean?
As a noun, "stop" means: Signalisation routière indiquant aux automobilistes qu’ils doivent marquer un arrêt et vérifier que la voie est libre avant de passer. Elle est composée dans de nombreux pays d’un panneau octogonal...
What words are commonly confused with "stop"?
"stop" is commonly confused with "SVP", "stp", "sup". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stop"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stop" is \stɔp\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "stop" come from?
"stop" is a French word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
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 “stop”

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

  • The one correct French spelling is S-T-O-P - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as \stɔp\ (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “SVP” - see the side-by-side comparison. stop vs SVP
  • Browse more French words and confusable pairs in the same reference. French words
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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list