gestochenvsgestohlenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: gestochen is a verb, gestohlen is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“gestochen” is a verb and “gestohlen” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#15,108
“gestochen” frequency rank
#4,515
“gestohlen” frequency rank
19623
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature gestochen gestohlen
Definition Partizip Perfekt des Verbs stechen aus jemandes Besitz/Eigentum entwendet

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set gestochen and gestohlen apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
gestochen
9 ch
gestohlen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

gestochen and gestohlen form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19623, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

gestochen is recorded at frequency rank #15,108, classified as averb, pronounced [ɡəˈʃtɔxn̩]. gestohlen is at rank #4,515, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ɡəˈʃtoːlən].

Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.

With a confusion score of 19623, this pair ranks #1,906,352 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

gestochen#15,108
gestohlen#4,515

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "gestochen" and "gestohlen" be used interchangeably?
No, "gestochen" and "gestohlen" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering gestochen vs gestohlen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “gestochen”; for an adjective, it's “gestohlen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “gestochen” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list