StäbevsStälleWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#35,472
“Stäbe” frequency rank
#34,926
“Ställe” frequency rank
70398
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Stäbe Ställe
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stab Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stall

Where the eye mixes Stäbe and Ställe

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Stäbe runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against Ställe's 6 (CCVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

5 ch
Stäbe
6 ch
Ställe

Why the eye confuses Stäbe with Ställe

A purely visual mix-up. Stäbe ([ˈʃtɛːbə]) and Ställe ([ˈʃtɛlə]) 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 70398, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Stäbe is recorded at frequency rank #35,472, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛːbə]. Ställe is at rank #34,926, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛlə].

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 70398, this pair ranks #447,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Stäbe vs Ställe

Shared letters: estä. Private to "Stäbe": b. Private to "Ställe": l.

"Stäbe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "Ställe" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Stäbe" for "Ställe" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɛːbə] versus [ˈʃtɛlə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Stäbe" or "Ställe"?
"Ställe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #34,926 in our German list, against #35,472 for "Stäbe". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Stäbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Ställe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #447,577 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Stäbe" and "Ställe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stäbe vs Stuben". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #447,577 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