Which to use
“stehlen” is a verb and “Stelen” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,810
- “stehlen” frequency rank
- #46,297
- “Stelen” frequency rank
- 56107
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stehlen | Stelen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas aus dem Besitz eines anderen ohne dessen Einverständnis wegnehmen; einen Diebstahl begehen | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Stele |
Same sound, different letters: stehlen vs Stelen
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 6 letters. stehlen runs 7 letters (CCVCCVC) against Stelen's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Homophone desk: stehlen vs Stelen
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: stehlen and Stelen carry the same recorded pronunciation, [ˈʃteːlən]. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anoun, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56107, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stehlen is recorded at frequency rank #9,810, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃteːlən]. Stelen is at rank #46,297, tagged as anoun, 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 56107, this pair ranks #953,228 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of stehlen vs Stelen
Shared letters: elnst. Private to "stehlen": h. Private to "Stelen": -.
"stehlen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "Stelen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "stehlen" and "Stelen" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "stehlen" vs "Stelen" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
You've separated the homophone pair "stehlen" / "Stelen". Follow the links when you need the full entry or a neighbour that trips the same ear.
- Full dictionary entry for "stehlen" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Stelen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #953,228 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stehlen" and "Stelen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stelen 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 #953,228 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.