Städten vs Stätten, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#2,088
“Städten” frequency rank: #21,443
“Stätten” frequency rank: 23531
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Städten	Stätten
Definition	Dativ Plural des Substantivs Stadt	Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stätte

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Städten and Stätten apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch

Städten

7 ch

Stätten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

This is the hard kind. Städten and Stätten are pronounced identically ([ˈʃtɛːtn̩]) and both work as anoun. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by a single letter - d in “Städten” becomes t in “Stätten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23531, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Städten is recorded at frequency rank #2,088, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛːtn̩]. 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 23531, this pair ranks #1,860,079 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Städten vs Stätten

Shared letters: enstä. Private to "Städten": d. Private to "Stätten": -.

"Städten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "Stätten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Frequency comparison

Städten#2,088

Stätten#21,443

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

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

No. They are pronounced the same ([ˈʃtɛːtn̩]), which is exactly why they get swapped in writing, but the dictionary meanings above are different, and pronunciation is no guide here.

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

"Städten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,088 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 Städten 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 “Städten” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable