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E EnglishDart
B1

Stationary vs Stationery

Stationary (with A) means 'not moving' — a stationary car. Stationery (with E) means office supplies — pens, paper, envelopes.

The one-line answer

Stationary (with A) means 'not moving' — a stationary car. Stationery (with E) means office supplies — pens, paper, envelopes.

stationary

adjective

not moving; standing still

  • The car was stationary when it was hit.
  • Traffic remained stationary for an hour.
  • Use a stationary bike at the gym.

stationery

noun

writing materials — pens, paper, envelopes

  • We ordered new stationery for the office.
  • She wrote the letter on personalized stationery.
  • There's a stationery shop next to the post office.

Memory trick

StationEry contains E like Envelope and pEns — the supplies. StationAry contains A like stAnd still — not moving.

Stationary vs Stationery: Test yourself

Question 1 of 2

He bought new pens and ___ for school.