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Stationary vs Stationery: Avoid a Costly Typo

Use stationary and stationery correctly in business and school writing.

Core meanings

Stationary = not moving. Stationery = paper, envelopes, and office writing materials.

Quick memory cue

StationEry has an E for Envelopes.

Common business use

Use stationery in procurement and branding docs to avoid ambiguous purchase requests.

Word Context Matrix

Use this quick matrix to compare core words in this guide and jump directly into deeper lookup pages.

Synonym and Contrast Explorer

stationary

High-value alternatives

Opposite direction words

stationery

High-value alternatives

letterhead

High-value alternatives

Real Usage Examples

Example sentences pulled from our lexical corpus to show natural context.

stationary

Let's have a moment of silence for all those who are stuck in traffic on their way to the gym to ride the stationary bicycle.

stationery

Mr Tanaka makes a living running a small stationery shop near the station.

letterhead

I need some paper with letterhead to send the quote to the new client.

FAQ

Is digital letterhead called stationery?

Yes, in many style guides it still falls under stationery assets.

Can stationary describe a person?

Yes, if they are not moving.

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