Which to use
“Sache” is a noun and “stehe” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #495
- “Sache” frequency rank
- #2,179
- “stehe” frequency rank
- 2674
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Sache | stehe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einzelner Gegenstand oder eine Gruppe von Dingen, die einer Person oder Angelegenheit zugehörig sind | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stehen |
Where the eye mixes Sache and stehe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Sache with stehe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Sache is [ˈzaxə] while stehe is [ˈʃteːə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2674, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Sache is recorded at frequency rank #495, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈzaxə]. stehe is at rank #2,179, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃteːə].
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 2674, this pair ranks #2,001,834 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Sache vs stehe
Shared letters: ehs. Private to "Sache": ac. Private to "stehe": t.
"Sache" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV · "stehe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Sache" for "stehe" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Sache" or "stehe" show up more?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Sache" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stehe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,001,834 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Sache" and "stehe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stehe vs steps". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #2,001,834 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.