stehnvsstöhntWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“stehn” and “stöhnt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#24,938
“stehn” frequency rank
#37,233
“stöhnt” frequency rank
62171
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stehn stöhnt
Definition stehen 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stöhnen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stehn and stöhnt apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
stehn
6 ch
stöhnt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stehn ([ʃteːn]) and stöhnt ([ʃtøːnt]) 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 62171, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stehn is recorded at frequency rank #24,938, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃteːn]. stöhnt is at rank #37,233, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtøːnt].

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 62171, this pair ranks #722,597 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stehn vs stöhnt

Shared letters: hnst. Private to "stehn": e. Private to "stöhnt": ö.

"stehn" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "stöhnt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stehnsethn · sstehn · stehhn · stehnn · stenh · sthen · sttehn · tsehn

Frequency comparison

stehn#24,938
stöhnt#37,233

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stehn" and "stöhnt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃteːn] versus [ʃtøːnt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stehn" or "stöhnt"?
"stehn" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,938 in our German list, against #37,233 for "stöhnt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stehn vs stöhnt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “stehn” 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