Städte vs Stätten, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#1,748
“Städte” frequency rank: #21,443
“Stätten” frequency rank: 23191
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Städte	Stätten
Definition	Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stadt	Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stätte

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch

Städte

7 ch

Stätten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Städte ([ˈʃtɛːtə]) and Stätten ([ˈʃtɛtn̩]) 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 23191, 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]. Stätten is at rank #21,443, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛtn̩].

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 23191, this pair ranks #1,864,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Städte vs Stätten

Shared letters: estä. Private to "Städte": d. Private to "Stätten": n.

"Städte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "Stätten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

Städte#1,748

Stätten#21,443

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Städte" and "Stätten" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɛːtə] versus [ˈʃtɛtn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Städte" or "Stätten"?

"Städte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,748 in our German list, against #21,443 for "Stätten". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering Städte vs Stätten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Städte” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable