What is the difference between a stotra, stava, stuti, sukta and mantra?

Question

What is the difference between a stotra, stava, stuti, sukta and mantra? Please give examples of each to explain.

Would be helpful if any references can be quoted from scriptures.

Answer 1

As referred by vedabo

Mantra ( मंत्र)

is a sacred utterance, a syllable or group of words believed to have psychological and spiritual powers.

Example – Gayatri Mantra , Om , Shanti Mantra e.t.c

Suktam (सूक्त)

Each Veda is divided into mandala consists of hymns called sukta intended for various rituals. The sukta, in turn, consist of individual sloka’s (verse)

Example – Nasadiya Sukta, Purusha Sukta , Shree Sukta e.t.c

Stotra (स्तोत्र)

They are the hymns written to praise the god. Suktam & Stotra both have the same purpose to pray to god.

Example – Panchakshara Stotra, Ram Raksha Stotra, Saraswati Stotra e.t.c

Shloka (श्लोक)

A pair of successive lines of verse, typically rhyming and of the same length. Most Hindu scriptures are written in forms of sloka’s. Mahabharata, Ramayana & Upanishads e.t.c

Stuti (स्तुति)

Any prayer offered to the god, it can be done by reciting mantra, suktam, stotra, aarti’s, bhajan e.t.c

Also, there is a quora answer to this question.