Which to use
“Stahl” is a noun and “steil” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,620
- “Stahl” frequency rank
- #9,636
- “steil” frequency rank
- 13256
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stahl | steil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | metallische Legierung, deren Hauptbestandteil Eisen ist; der Kohlenstoffgehalt liegt zwischen 0,02% und 2,06%. | von der Waagerechten stark abweichend, entweder ansteigend oder abfallend (auch figurativ) |
Where the eye mixes Stahl and steil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Stahl (CCVCC) and steil (CCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between Stahl and steil
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Stahl is [ʃtaːl] while steil is [ʃtaɪ̯l]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13256, 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]. steil is at rank #9,636, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃtaɪ̯l].
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 13256, this pair ranks #1,959,105 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Stahl vs steil
Shared letters: lst. Private to "Stahl": ah. Private to "steil": ei.
"Stahl" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "steil" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Stahl" and "steil" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Stahl" or "steil"?
After this comparison
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 "steil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,959,105 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stahl" and "steil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sil vs steil". 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 #1,959,105 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.