Which to use
“steige” and “steigen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #13,491
- “steige” frequency rank
- #2,127
- “steigen” frequency rank
- 15618
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | steige | steigen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs steigen | in die Höhe gehen, sich nach oben bewegen |
Where the eye mixes steige and steigen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: steige vs steigen
A purely visual mix-up. steige ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡə]) and steigen ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩]) 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 extra letter(s) - “steige” sits inside “steigen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 15618, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
steige is recorded at frequency rank #13,491, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡə]. steigen is at rank #2,127, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡn̩].
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 15618, this pair ranks #1,942,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of steige vs steigen
Shared letters: egist. Private to "steige": -. Private to "steigen": n.
"steige" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "steigen" · 7 letters · shape CCVVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "steige" and "steigen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "steige" or "steigen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "steige" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "steigen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,942,451 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "steige" and "steigen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "steige vs steigst". 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 #1,942,451 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.