StämmevsstummenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Stämme is a noun, stummen is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Stämme” is a noun and “stummen” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#10,183
“Stämme” frequency rank
#44,951
“stummen” frequency rank
55134
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Stämme stummen
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stamm Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs stumm

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
Stämme
7 ch
stummen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Stämme is [ˈʃtɛmə] while stummen is [ˈʃtʊmən]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55134, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Stämme is recorded at frequency rank #10,183, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛmə]. stummen is at rank #44,951, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtʊmən].

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 55134, this pair ranks #991,430 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Stämme vs stummen

Shared letters: emst. Private to "Stämme": ä. Private to "stummen": nu.

"Stämme" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV  ·  "stummen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stummensstummen · stmumen · sttummen · stumemn · stumen · stummenn · stummne · sutmmen

Frequency comparison

Stämme#10,183
stummen#44,951

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Stämme" and "stummen" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Stämme" is a noun and "stummen" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Stämme" or "stummen"?
"Stämme" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,183 in our German list, against #44,951 for "stummen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Stämme vs stummen

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Stämme”; for an adjective, it's “stummen”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Stämme” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list