Which to use
“sous” is a preposition and “stu” is an unknown - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #29,337
- “sous” frequency rank
- #47,032
- “stu” frequency rank
- 76369
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sous | stu |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unter (unterhalb von) | Dativ Singular des Numerales sto |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set sous and stu apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: sous is [su] while stu is [stʊ]. 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 (preposition vs unknown), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 76369, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sous is recorded at frequency rank #29,337, classified as aprep, pronounced [su]. stu is at rank #47,032, tagged as anunknown, pronounced [stʊ].
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 76369, this pair ranks #285,473 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of sous vs stu
Shared letters: su. Private to "sous": o. Private to "stu": t.
"sous" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "stu" · 3 letters · shape CCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- sous ← osus · sosu · souss · ssous · suos
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sous" and "stu" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "sous" or "stu"?
Remembering sous vs stu
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a preposition, it's “sous”; for an unknown, it's “stu”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “sous” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable