Which to use
“steigt” is a verb and “steil” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,905
- “steigt” frequency rank
- #9,636
- “steil” frequency rank
- 11541
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | steigt | steil |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs steigen | von der Waagerechten stark abweichend, entweder ansteigend oder abfallend (auch figurativ) |
Where the eye mixes steigt and steil
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between steigt and steil
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: steigt is [ʃtaɪ̯kt] while steil is [ʃtaɪ̯l]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11541, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
steigt is recorded at frequency rank #1,905, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃtaɪ̯kt]. steil is at rank #9,636, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃtaɪ̯l].
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 11541, this pair ranks #1,969,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of steigt vs steil
Shared letters: eist. Private to "steigt": g. Private to "steil": l.
"steigt" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCC · "steil" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "steigt" and "steil" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "steigt" or "steil"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "steigt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "steil" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,969,347 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "steigt" and "steil" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "sil vs steil". 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 #1,969,347 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.