Which to use
“Städte” and “states” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,748
- “Städte” frequency rank
- #14,678
- “states” frequency rank
- 16426
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Städte | states |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stadt | Plural des Substantivs state |
Where the eye mixes Städte and states
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Städte with states
A purely visual mix-up. Städte ([ˈʃtɛːtə]) and states ([steits]) 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 4 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16426, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Städte is recorded at frequency rank #1,748, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛːtə]. states is at rank #14,678, tagged as anoun, pronounced [steits].
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 16426, this pair ranks #1,935,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Städte vs states
Shared letters: est. Private to "Städte": dä. Private to "states": a.
"Städte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "states" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- states ← sattes · sstates · staets · statess · statse · stattes · sttaes · sttates
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Städte" and "states" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Städte" or "states"?
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 "Städte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "states" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,935,974 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Städte" and "states" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "states vs Stuten". 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 #1,935,974 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.