Which to use
“scale” and “Stäbe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,769
- “scale” frequency rank
- #35,472
- “Stäbe” frequency rank
- 67241
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | scale | Stäbe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Waage | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stab |
Where the eye mixes scale and Stäbe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses scale with Stäbe
A purely visual mix-up. scale ([skeɪl]) and Stäbe ([ˈʃtɛːbə]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67241, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
scale is recorded at frequency rank #31,769, classified as anoun, pronounced [skeɪl]. Stäbe is at rank #35,472, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛːbə].
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 67241, this pair ranks #546,631 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of scale vs Stäbe
Shared letters: es. Private to "scale": acl. Private to "Stäbe": btä.
"scale" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Stäbe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- scale ← csale · sacle · scael · scalle · sccale · sclae · sscale
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "scale" for "Stäbe" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "scale" or "Stäbe" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "scale" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Stäbe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #546,631 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "scale" and "Stäbe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stäbe vs Stuben". 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 #546,631 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.