Which to use
“steif” is an adjective and “Stil” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #13,946
- “steif” frequency rank
- #1,942
- “Stil” frequency rank
- 15888
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | steif | Stil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unbiegsam, fest, starr | besondere Gestaltungsweise (in Kunst, Leben, Sport und so weiter) |
Where the eye mixes steif and Stil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: steif vs Stil
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: steif is [ʃtaɪ̯f] while Stil is [ʃtiːl]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15888, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
steif is recorded at frequency rank #13,946, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃtaɪ̯f]. Stil is at rank #1,942, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtiːl].
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 15888, this pair ranks #1,940,317 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of steif vs Stil
Shared letters: ist. Private to "steif": ef. Private to "Stil": l.
"steif" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Stil" · 4 letters · shape CCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "steif" for "Stil" ever safe?
Which is more common, "steif" or "Stil"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "steif" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Stil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,940,317 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "steif" and "Stil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "steif vs steps". 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 #1,940,317 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.