StaatsanwältevsStaatsanwältinTell them apart

Which to use

“Staatsanwälte” and “Staatsanwältin” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#26,179
“Staatsanwälte” frequency rank
#31,802
“Staatsanwältin” frequency rank
57981
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Staatsanwälte Staatsanwältin
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Staatsanwalt Beamtin einer Staatsanwaltschaft und als solche ein Organ der Rechtspflege

Where the eye mixes Staatsanwälte and Staatsanwältin

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 12 letters in sequence. Staatsanwälte runs 13 letters (CCVVCCVCCVCCV) against Staatsanwältin's 14 (CCVVCCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

13 ch
Staatsanwälte
14 ch
Staatsanwältin

Visual trap between Staatsanwälte and Staatsanwältin

A purely visual mix-up. Staatsanwälte ([ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvɛltə]) and Staatsanwältin ([ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvɛltɪn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57981, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Staatsanwälte is recorded at frequency rank #26,179, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvɛltə]. Staatsanwältin is at rank #31,802, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvɛltɪn].

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 57981, this pair ranks #880,217 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Staatsanwälte vs Staatsanwältin

Shared letters: alnstwä. Private to "Staatsanwälte": e. Private to "Staatsanwältin": i.

"Staatsanwälte" · 13 letters · shape CCVVCCVCCVCCV  ·  "Staatsanwältin" · 14 letters · shape CCVVCCVCCVCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "Staatsanwälte" and "Staatsanwältin" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvɛltə] versus [ˈʃtaːt͡sʔanˌvɛltɪn]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Staatsanwälte" or "Staatsanwältin"?
"Staatsanwälte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #26,179 in our German list, against #31,802 for "Staatsanwältin". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Staatsanwälte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Staatsanwältin" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #880,217 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Staatsanwälte" and "Staatsanwältin" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Staatsanwalt vs Staatsanwältin". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #880,217 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list