sichervsStichenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: sicher is a adjective, Stichen is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“sicher” is an adjective and “Stichen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#270
“sicher” frequency rank
#43,512
“Stichen” frequency rank
43782
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature sicher Stichen
Definition vor Gefahren geschützt Dativ Plural des Substantivs Stich

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sicher and Stichen apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
sicher
7 ch
Stichen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sicher is [ˈzɪçɐ] while Stichen is [ˈʃtɪçn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43782, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

sicher is recorded at frequency rank #270, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈzɪçɐ]. Stichen is at rank #43,512, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɪçn̩].

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 43782, this pair ranks #1,407,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of sicher vs Stichen

Shared letters: cehis. Private to "sicher": r. Private to "Stichen": nt.

"sicher" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "Stichen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • sicherischer · sciher · siccher · sicehr · sicherr · sichher · sichre · sihcer
  • Stichensitchen · sstichen · stcihen · sticchen · sticehn · stichenn · stichhen · stichne

Frequency comparison

sicher#270
Stichen#43,512

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "sicher" and "Stichen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "sicher" is an adjective and "Stichen" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "sicher" or "Stichen"?
"sicher" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #270 in our German list, against #43,512 for "Stichen". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering sicher vs Stichen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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