Which to use
“Stahl” and “Stau” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,620
- “Stahl” frequency rank
- #7,819
- “Stau” frequency rank
- 11439
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stahl | Stau |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | metallische Legierung, deren Hauptbestandteil Eisen ist; der Kohlenstoffgehalt liegt zwischen 0,02% und 2,06%. | durch eine Behinderung oder ein Hindernis verursachte Störung des Durchflusses oder Durchgangs; Nomen acti: Ergebnis des Stauens |
Where the eye mixes Stahl and Stau
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Stahl runs 5 letters (CCVCC) against Stau's 4 (CCVV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Stahl with Stau
A purely visual mix-up. Stahl ([ʃtaːl]) and Stau ([ʃtaʊ̯]) 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 11439, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Stahl is recorded at frequency rank #3,620, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃtaːl]. Stau is at rank #7,819, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtaʊ̯].
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 11439, this pair ranks #1,969,872 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Stahl vs Stau
Shared letters: ast. Private to "Stahl": hl. Private to "Stau": u.
"Stahl" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "Stau" · 4 letters · shape CCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Stahl" and "Stau" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Stahl" vs "Stau" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Stahl" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Stau" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,969,872 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stahl" and "Stau" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sai vs Stau". 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 #1,969,872 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.