Which to use
“steh” and “stell” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,884
- “steh” frequency rank
- #3,077
- “stell” frequency rank
- 8961
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | steh | stell |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stehen | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stellen |
Where the eye mixes steh and stell
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses steh with stell
A purely visual mix-up. steh ([ʃteː]) and stell ([ʃtɛl]) 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 8961, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
steh is recorded at frequency rank #5,884, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃteː]. stell is at rank #3,077, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtɛl].
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 8961, this pair ranks #1,982,045 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of steh vs stell
Shared letters: est. Private to "steh": h. Private to "stell": l.
"steh" · 4 letters · shape CCVC · "stell" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "steh" for "stell" ever safe?
Frequency check: "steh" vs "stell" - which ranks higher?
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 "steh" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stell" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,982,045 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "steh" and "stell" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "seg vs steh". 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 #1,982,045 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.