noun

sty

steye

noun

A pen where pigs are kept.

"The farmer cleaned out the sty every morning."

A very messy or filthy place.

"Clean your room — it looks like a sty in here."

A painful red swelling on the eyelid caused by an infected gland.

"A sty had formed on her lower eyelid overnight."

How to Use Sty

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishA pig pen, a filthy room, or a swollen bump on the eyelid — three unrelated meanings that share one spelling.

Common mistake

Don't confuse with "stye," an alternative spelling used for the eyelid infection specifically.

Common pairings

pig sty eye sty

stied past tense, stied past tense, sties plural, sties plural, sties plural, sties singular, sties singular

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The farmer cleaned out the _____ every morning.

From Old English stig, meaning an enclosure or pen (originally used for animals in general, later specifically pigs).

nasty hasty rusty pasty tasty testy busty dusty musty lusty misty pigsty