Which to use
“stehe” and “stehlen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,179
- “stehe” frequency rank
- #9,810
- “stehlen” frequency rank
- 11989
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stehe | stehlen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stehen | etwas aus dem Besitz eines anderen ohne dessen Einverständnis wegnehmen; einen Diebstahl begehen |
Where the eye mixes stehe and stehlen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. stehe runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against stehlen's 7 (CCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: stehe vs stehlen
A purely visual mix-up. stehe ([ˈʃteːə]) and stehlen ([ˈʃteːlən]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11989, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stehe is recorded at frequency rank #2,179, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃteːə]. stehlen is at rank #9,810, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃteːlən].
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 11989, this pair ranks #1,966,810 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stehe vs stehlen
Shared letters: ehst. Private to "stehe": -. Private to "stehlen": ln.
"stehe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "stehlen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "stehe" and "stehlen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "stehe" or "stehlen"?
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 "stehe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stehlen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,966,810 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stehe" and "stehlen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stehlen vs Stilen". 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 #1,966,810 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.