stecktenvsstockenConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#22,906
“steckten” frequency rank
#23,326
“stocken” frequency rank
46232
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature steckten stocken
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stecken einen Fortgang, eine Bewegung anhalten

Where the eye mixes steckten and stocken

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. steckten runs 8 letters (CCVCCCVC) against stocken's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
steckten
7 ch
stocken

Why the eye confuses steckten with stocken

A purely visual mix-up. steckten ([ˈʃtɛktn̩]) and stocken ([ˈʃtɔkn̩]) 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 46232, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

steckten is recorded at frequency rank #22,906, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛktn̩]. stocken is at rank #23,326, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɔkn̩].

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 46232, this pair ranks #1,326,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of steckten vs stocken

Shared letters: ceknst. Private to "steckten": -. Private to "stocken": o.

"steckten" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC  ·  "stocken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • steckten ← setckten · ssteckten · stcekten · stecckten · stecketn · steckkten · stecktenn · stecktne
  • stocken ← sotcken · sstocken · stcoken · stoccken · stocekn · stockenn · stockken · stockne

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "steckten" and "stocken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɛktn̩] versus [ˈʃtɔkn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "steckten" vs "stocken" - which ranks higher?
"steckten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,906 in our German list, against #23,326 for "stocken". 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 "steckten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "stocken" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,326,155 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "steckten" and "stocken" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stöckchen vs stocken". 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 #1,326,155 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