SteigerungvsSteuerungWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#5,885
“Steigerung” frequency rank
#7,534
“Steuerung” frequency rank
13419
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Steigerung Steuerung
Definition Vergrößerung von etwas technische Einrichtung, zum Beispiel in Maschinen, Schiffen und Fahrzeugen, um die Funktionalität beziehungsweise die Fahrt- oder Flugrichtung zu bestimmen

Where the eye mixes Steigerung and Steuerung

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. Steigerung runs 10 letters (CCVVCVCVCC) against Steuerung's 9 (CCVVVCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

10 ch
Steigerung
9 ch
Steuerung

Look-alike desk: Steigerung vs Steuerung

A purely visual mix-up. Steigerung ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡəʁʊŋ]) and Steuerung ([ˈʃtɔɪ̯əʁʊŋ]) 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 13419, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Steigerung is recorded at frequency rank #5,885, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡəʁʊŋ]. Steuerung is at rank #7,534, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɔɪ̯əʁʊŋ].

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 13419, this pair ranks #1,958,105 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Steigerung vs Steuerung

Shared letters: egnrstu. Private to "Steigerung": i. Private to "Steuerung": -.

"Steigerung" · 10 letters · shape CCVVCVCVCC  ·  "Steuerung" · 9 letters · shape CCVVVCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Steigerung ← setigerung · ssteigerung · stegierung · steiegrung · steigernug · steigerrung · steigerugn · steigerungg
  • Steuerung ← setuerung · ssteuerung · steeurung · steuernug · steuerrung · steuerugn · steuerungg · steuerunng

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "Steigerung" for "Steuerung" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡəʁʊŋ] versus [ˈʃtɔɪ̯əʁʊŋ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Steigerung" vs "Steuerung" - which ranks higher?
"Steigerung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,885 in our German list, against #7,534 for "Steuerung". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Steigerung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Steuerung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,958,105 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Steigerung" and "Steuerung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Steigerung vs Steigerungen". 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 #1,958,105 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list