stecktenvsStückenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: steckten is a verb, Stücken is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“steckten” is a verb and “Stücken” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,906
“steckten” frequency rank
#8,289
“Stücken” frequency rank
31195
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature steckten Stücken
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stecken Dativ Plural des Substantivs Stück

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set steckten and Stücken apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
steckten
7 ch
Stücken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: steckten is [ˈʃtɛktn̩] while Stücken is [ˈʃtʏkn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31195, 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]. Stücken is at rank #8,289, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtʏkn̩].

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 31195, this pair ranks #1,732,964 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of steckten vs Stücken

Shared letters: ceknst. Private to "steckten": -. Private to "Stücken": ü.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stecktensetckten · ssteckten · stcekten · stecckten · stecketn · steckkten · stecktenn · stecktne

Frequency comparison

steckten#22,906
Stücken#8,289

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "steckten" and "Stücken" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "steckten" is a verb and "Stücken" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "steckten" or "Stücken"?
"Stücken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #8,289 in our German list, against #22,906 for "steckten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering steckten vs Stücken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “steckten”; for a noun, it's “Stücken”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “steckten” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list