stachvsStachelWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: stach is a verb, Stachel is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“stach” is a verb and “Stachel” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,901
“stach” frequency rank
#30,784
“Stachel” frequency rank
53685
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stach Stachel
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stechen spitzes Pflanzenteil, Auswuchs des Rindengewebes

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stach and Stachel apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
stach
7 ch
Stachel

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: stach is [ʃtaːx] while Stachel is [ˈʃtaxl̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “stach” sits inside “Stachel”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53685, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stach is recorded at frequency rank #22,901, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃtaːx]. Stachel is at rank #30,784, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtaxl̩].

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 53685, this pair ranks #1,048,394 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stach vs Stachel

Shared letters: achst. Private to "stach": -. Private to "Stachel": el.

"stach" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Stachel" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stachsatch · sstach · stacch · stachh · stahc · stcah · sttach · tsach
  • Stachelsatchel · sstachel · stacchel · stacehl · stachell · stachhel · stachle · stahcel

Frequency comparison

stach#22,901
Stachel#30,784

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stach" and "Stachel" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "stach" is a verb and "Stachel" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "stach" or "Stachel"?
"stach" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,901 in our German list, against #30,784 for "Stachel". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stach vs Stachel

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “stach”; for a noun, it's “Stachel”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “stach” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list