Which to use
“Stäbe” and “Stele” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #35,472
- “Stäbe” frequency rank
- #40,226
- “Stele” frequency rank
- 75698
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stäbe | Stele |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stab | Grabstein, Gedenkstein der Antike, Pfeiler mit einer Inschrift- oder Bildtafel; heute auch moderne freistehende Informationstafel |
Where the eye mixes Stäbe and Stele
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Stäbe and Stele follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between Stäbe and Stele
A purely visual mix-up. Stäbe ([ˈʃtɛːbə]) and Stele ([ˈʃteːlə]) 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 75698, 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]. Stele is at rank #40,226, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃteːlə].
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 75698, this pair ranks #301,554 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Stäbe vs Stele
Shared letters: est. Private to "Stäbe": bä. Private to "Stele": l.
"Stäbe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Stele" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- Stele ← setle · sstele · stlee · sttele · tsele
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Stäbe" for "Stele" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Stäbe" vs "Stele" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Stäbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Stele" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #301,554 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stäbe" and "Stele" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stele vs Stilen". 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 #301,554 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.