Which to use
“Sieb” is a noun and “stirb” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,309
- “Sieb” frequency rank
- #27,072
- “stirb” frequency rank
- 52381
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Sieb | stirb |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Schale oder Fläche mit Löchern zum Trennen gemischter verschiedenartiger Bestandteile; auch im übertragenen Sinne verwendet (Sieb des Eratosthenes) | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sterben |
Where the eye mixes Sieb and stirb
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Sieb with stirb
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Sieb is [ziːp] while stirb is [ʃtɪʁp]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52381, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Sieb is recorded at frequency rank #25,309, classified as anoun, pronounced [ziːp]. stirb is at rank #27,072, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtɪʁp].
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 52381, this pair ranks #1,099,130 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Sieb vs stirb
Shared letters: bis. Private to "Sieb": e. Private to "stirb": rt.
"Sieb" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "stirb" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Sieb" for "stirb" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Sieb" or "stirb"?
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 "Sieb" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stirb" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,099,130 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Sieb" and "stirb" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sire vs stirb". 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 #1,099,130 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.