Which to use
“Stahl” and “Staus” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,620
- “Stahl” frequency rank
- #23,322
- “Staus” frequency rank
- 26942
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stahl | Staus |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | metallische Legierung, deren Hauptbestandteil Eisen ist; der Kohlenstoffgehalt liegt zwischen 0,02% und 2,06%. | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Stau |
Where the eye mixes Stahl and Staus
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Stahl (CCVCC) and Staus (CCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Stahl and Staus
A purely visual mix-up. Stahl ([ʃtaːl]) and Staus ([ʃtaʊ̯s]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 26942, 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]. Staus is at rank #23,322, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtaʊ̯s].
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 26942, this pair ranks #1,809,859 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Stahl vs Staus
Shared letters: ast. Private to "Stahl": hl. Private to "Staus": u.
"Stahl" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "Staus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Stahl" for "Staus" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Stahl" or "Staus"?
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 "Stahl" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Staus" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,809,859 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stahl" and "Staus" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Staus vs steps". 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 #1,809,859 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.