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 eye mixes stampfen and stopfen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. stampfen runs 8 letters (CCVCCCVC) against stopfen's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses stampfen with stopfen
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "stampfen" for "stopfen" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "stampfen" or "stopfen" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "stampfen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stopfen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,204,501 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stampfen" and "stopfen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stampfen vs stumpfen". 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 #1,204,501 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.