Which to use
“stechen” and “steigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,986
- “stechen” frequency rank
- #2,127
- “steigen” frequency rank
- 12113
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stechen | steigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen spitzen Gegenstand wie eine Nadel in einen anderen Gegenstand treiben | in die Höhe gehen, sich nach oben bewegen |
Where the eye mixes stechen and steigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: stechen vs steigen
A purely visual mix-up. stechen ([ˈʃtɛçn̩]) and steigen ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 12113, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stechen is recorded at frequency rank #9,986, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛçn̩]. steigen is at rank #2,127, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 12113, this pair ranks #1,966,102 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stechen vs steigen
Shared letters: enst. Private to "stechen": ch. Private to "steigen": gi.
"stechen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "steigen" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "stechen" and "steigen" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "stechen" or "steigen" show up more?
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 "stechen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "steigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,966,102 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stechen" and "steigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Speichen vs stechen". 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 #1,966,102 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.