Which to use
“steigern” and “steigerte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,428
- “steigern” frequency rank
- #19,403
- “steigerte” frequency rank
- 24831
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | steigern | steigerte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas oder sich größer, stärker, intensiver oder höher machen oder dazu bringen, es zu werden | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs steigern |
Where the eye mixes steigern and steigerte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: steigern vs steigerte
A purely visual mix-up. steigern ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡɐn]) and steigerte ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡɐtə]) 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 24831, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
steigern is recorded at frequency rank #5,428, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡɐn]. steigerte is at rank #19,403, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡɐtə].
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 24831, this pair ranks #1,842,066 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of steigern vs steigerte
Shared letters: egirst. Private to "steigern": n. Private to "steigerte": -.
"steigern" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCC · "steigerte" · 9 letters · shape CCVVCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "steigern" for "steigerte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "steigern" or "steigerte"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "steigern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "steigerte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,842,066 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "steigern" and "steigerte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "steigern vs Steiners". 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 #1,842,066 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.