seufzvsStufeWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#27,933
“seufz” frequency rank
#2,997
“Stufe” frequency rank
30930
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature seufz Stufe
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs seufzen meist einzelner Teil einer Treppe, der zum Höher- oder Tiefersteigen dient, Trittfläche

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set seufz and Stufe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
seufz
5 ch
Stufe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: seufz is [zɔɪ̯ft͡s] while Stufe is [ˈʃtuːfə]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30930, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

seufz is recorded at frequency rank #27,933, classified as averb, pronounced [zɔɪ̯ft͡s]. Stufe is at rank #2,997, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtuːfə].

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 30930, this pair ranks #1,738,207 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of seufz vs Stufe

Shared letters: efsu. Private to "seufz": z. Private to "Stufe": t.

"seufz" · 5 letters · shape CVVCC  ·  "Stufe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • seufzesufz · sefuz · seuffz · seufzz · seuzf · sseufz · suefz
  • Stufesstufe · stfue · sttufe · stuef · stuffe · sutfe · tsufe

Frequency comparison

seufz#27,933
Stufe#2,997

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "seufz" and "Stufe" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "seufz" is a verb and "Stufe" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "seufz" or "Stufe"?
"Stufe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,997 in our German list, against #27,933 for "seufz". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering seufz vs Stufe

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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