Which to use
“stehe” and “sterbe” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,179
- “stehe” frequency rank
- #9,988
- “sterbe” frequency rank
- 12167
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stehe | sterbe |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stehen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sterben |
Where the eye mixes stehe and sterbe
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses stehe with sterbe
A purely visual mix-up. stehe ([ˈʃteːə]) and sterbe ([ˈʃtɛʁbə]) 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 12167, 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]. sterbe is at rank #9,988, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁbə].
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 12167, this pair ranks #1,965,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stehe vs sterbe
Shared letters: est. Private to "stehe": h. Private to "sterbe": br.
"stehe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "sterbe" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "stehe" and "sterbe" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "stehe" vs "sterbe" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "stehe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "sterbe" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,965,784 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stehe" and "sterbe" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "steife vs sterbe". 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 #1,965,784 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.