Which to use
“steckte” and “stellte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,273
- “steckte” frequency rank
- #1,169
- “stellte” frequency rank
- 10442
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | steckte | stellte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stecken | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stellen |
Where the eye mixes steckte and stellte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. steckte and stellte follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between steckte and stellte
A purely visual mix-up. steckte ([ˈʃtɛktə]) and stellte ([ˈʃtɛltə]) 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 10442, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
steckte is recorded at frequency rank #9,273, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛktə]. stellte is at rank #1,169, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛltə].
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 10442, this pair ranks #1,975,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of steckte vs stellte
Shared letters: est. Private to "steckte": ck. Private to "stellte": l.
"steckte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV · "stellte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "steckte" for "stellte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "steckte" or "stellte"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "steckte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stellte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,975,114 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "steckte" and "stellte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkte vs steckte". 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 #1,975,114 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.