StausvsStussConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#23,322
“Staus” frequency rank
#42,853
“Stuss” frequency rank
66175
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Staus Stuss
Definition Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Stau etwas, das (ärgerlicherweise) unsinnig geäußert oder getan wurde; etwas Unsinniges, Sinnloses, Törichtes

Where the eye mixes Staus and Stuss

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Staus (CCVVC) and Stuss (CCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

5 ch
Staus
5 ch
Stuss

Look-alike desk: Staus vs Stuss

A purely visual mix-up. Staus ([ʃtaʊ̯s]) and Stuss ([ʃtʊs]) 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 66175, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Staus is recorded at frequency rank #23,322, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃtaʊ̯s]. Stuss is at rank #42,853, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtʊs].

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 66175, this pair ranks #582,087 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Staus vs Stuss

Shared letters: stu. Private to "Staus": a. Private to "Stuss": -.

"Staus" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC  ·  "Stuss" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Staus ← satus · sstaus · stasu · stauss · stuas · tsaus
  • Stuss ← sstuss · stsus · sttuss · stus · stuß · sutss · tsuss

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Staus" and "Stuss" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃtaʊ̯s] versus [ʃtʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Staus" vs "Stuss" - which ranks higher?
"Staus" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,322 in our German list, against #42,853 for "Stuss". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "Staus" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Stuss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #582,087 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Staus" and "Stuss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stuss vs SUVs". 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 #582,087 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list