Which to use
“sieben” is a num and “sterben” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #912
- “sieben” frequency rank
- #1,336
- “sterben” frequency rank
- 2248
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sieben | sterben |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | die Kardinalzahl zwischen sechs und acht | aufhören zu leben |
Where the eye mixes sieben and sterben
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sieben vs sterben
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sieben is [ˈziːbn̩] while sterben is [ˈʃtɛʁbn̩]. 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 (num vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2248, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sieben is recorded at frequency rank #912, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈziːbn̩]. sterben is at rank #1,336, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁbn̩].
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 2248, this pair ranks #2,002,779 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sieben vs sterben
Shared letters: bens. Private to "sieben": i. Private to "sterben": rt.
"sieben" · 6 letters · shape CVVCVC · "sterben" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sieben" for "sterben" ever safe?
Which is more common, "sieben" or "sterben"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sieben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sterben" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,002,779 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sieben" and "sterben" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sterben 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 #2,002,779 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.