sammlevsStämmeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sammle is a verb, Stämme is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sammle” is a verb and “Stämme” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#23,293
“sammle” frequency rank
#10,183
“Stämme” frequency rank
33476
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sammle Stämme
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sammeln Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stamm

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sammle and Stämme apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
sammle
6 ch
Stämme

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sammle is [ˈzamlə] while Stämme is [ˈʃtɛmə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33476, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sammle is recorded at frequency rank #23,293, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈzamlə]. Stämme is at rank #10,183, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛmə].

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 33476, this pair ranks #1,685,200 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of sammle vs Stämme

Shared letters: ems. Private to "sammle": al. Private to "Stämme": .

"sammle" · 6 letters · shape CVCCCV  ·  "Stämme" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sammleasmmle · samle · samlme · sammlle · smamle · ssammle

Frequency comparison

sammle#23,293
Stämme#10,183

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sammle" and "Stämme" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sammle" is a verb and "Stämme" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sammle" or "Stämme"?
"Stämme" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,183 in our German list, against #23,293 for "sammle". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering sammle vs Stämme

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “sammle”; for a noun, it's “Stämme”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sammle” 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