stampfenvsstopfenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#32,782
“stampfen” frequency rank
#16,840
“stopfen” frequency rank
49622
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stampfen stopfen
Definition von oben mit seinem Gewicht nach unten, auf den Boden einwirken etwas Verformbares irgendwo hineindrücken

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
stampfen
7 ch
stopfen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stampfen ([ˈʃtamp͡fn̩]) and stopfen ([ˈʃtɔp͡fn̩]) 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 49622, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stampfen is recorded at frequency rank #32,782, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtamp͡fn̩]. stopfen is at rank #16,840, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɔp͡fn̩].

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 49622, this pair ranks #1,204,501 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stampfen vs stopfen

Shared letters: efnpst. Private to "stampfen": am. Private to "stopfen": o.

"stampfen" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC  ·  "stopfen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stampfensatmpfen · sstampfen · stamfpen · stammpfen · stampefn · stampfenn · stampffen · stampfne
  • stopfensotpfen · sstopfen · stofpen · stopefn · stopfenn · stopffen · stopfne · stoppfen

Frequency comparison

stampfen#32,782
stopfen#16,840

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stampfen" and "stopfen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtamp͡fn̩] versus [ˈʃtɔp͡fn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stampfen" or "stopfen"?
"stopfen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,840 in our German list, against #32,782 for "stampfen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stampfen vs stopfen

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 “stampfen” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list