“Stile” or “Style”—Which to use?

“Stile” or “Style”

Overview

stile / style are similar-sounding terms with different meanings (referred to as homophones). To better understand the differences, see below for definitions, pronunciation guides, and example sentences using each term. 👇

Definitions

stile: (noun) an upright that is a member in a door or window frame.

style: (noun) a particular kind (as to appearance). (noun) (botany) the narrow elongated part of the pistil between the ovary and the stigma. (noun) editorial directions to be followed in spelling and punctuation and capitalization and typographical display. (noun) a slender bristlelike or tubular process. (verb) designate by an identifying term. (verb) make consistent with a certain fashion or style. (verb) make consistent with certain rules of style.

Pronunciation

stile: s·t·AY·l

style: s·t·AY·l

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Examples in Context

Examples of “stile”

…can be seen from the stile in the churchyard wall.
1952–72, Director of the Centro Stile
His artist stile is Magic Realism.
…: Robert Elms ()Skinhead: Lo stile della strada : Riccardo Pedrini…
…early as 1836; a stone stile was used in Britain as…

Examples of “style”

…to use the dog fighting style.
…girls [and the] expressive printing style lent a dramatic and brooding…
…to use the snake fighting style.
…in content, tone, and presentation style depending on the format of…
…according to the user's fighting style, as their main weapon and…
Tight playing style, in poker, a style of…
Structure, content, and style
A new style of physical exercises helped improve…
…more swift and elegant fighting style.
The organization continues under the style "ACRO Criminal Records Office" under…

(Examples are Wikipedia snippets under the CC ShareAlike 3.0 license. Definitions drawn from WordNet.)

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