Which to use
“Stäbe” is a noun and “sterbe” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #35,472
- “Stäbe” frequency rank
- #9,988
- “sterbe” frequency rank
- 45460
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stäbe | sterbe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stab | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sterben |
Where the eye mixes Stäbe and sterbe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Stäbe with sterbe
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Stäbe is [ˈʃtɛːbə] while sterbe is [ˈʃtɛʁbə]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45460, 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]. sterbe is at rank #9,988, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁbə].
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 45460, this pair ranks #1,352,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Stäbe vs sterbe
Shared letters: best. Private to "Stäbe": ä. Private to "sterbe": r.
"Stäbe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "sterbe" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- sterbe ← setrbe · ssterbe · stebre · sterbbe · stereb · sterrbe · stterbe · tserbe
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Stäbe" and "sterbe" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Stäbe" vs "sterbe" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "Stäbe" and "sterbe" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Stäbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sterbe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,352,257 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stäbe" and "sterbe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stäbe vs Stuben". 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 #1,352,257 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.