Which to use
“smash” and “stach” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,274
- “smash” frequency rank
- #22,901
- “stach” frequency rank
- 55175
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | smash | stach |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs smashen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stechen |
Where the eye mixes smash and stach
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. smash and stach follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: smash vs stach
A purely visual mix-up. smash ([smæʃ]) and stach ([ʃtaːx]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55175, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
smash is recorded at frequency rank #32,274, classified as averb, pronounced [smæʃ]. stach is at rank #22,901, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtaːx].
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 55175, this pair ranks #989,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of smash vs stach
Shared letters: ahs. Private to "smash": m. Private to "stach": ct.
"smash" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "stach" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "smash" for "stach" ever safe?
Frequency check: "smash" vs "stach" - which ranks higher?
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 "smash" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stach" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #989,835 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "smash" and "stach" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "smash vs Späth". 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 #989,835 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.