SteigungvsSteigungenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,151
“Steigung” frequency rank
#36,645
“Steigungen” frequency rank
58796
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Steigung Steigungen
Definition Steilheitsgrad (allgemein) und speziell in Aufwärtsrichtung Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Steigung

Where the eye mixes Steigung and Steigungen

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

8 ch
Steigung
10 ch
Steigungen

Look-alike desk: Steigung vs Steigungen

A purely visual mix-up. Steigung ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡʊŋ]) and Steigungen ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡʊŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “Steigung” sits inside “Steigungen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58796, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Steigung is recorded at frequency rank #22,151, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡʊŋ]. Steigungen is at rank #36,645, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡʊŋən].

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 58796, this pair ranks #848,959 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Steigung vs Steigungen

Shared letters: eginstu. Private to "Steigung": -. Private to "Steigungen": -.

"Steigung" · 8 letters · shape CCVVCVCC  ·  "Steigungen" · 10 letters · shape CCVVCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Steigung ← setigung · ssteigung · stegiung · steiggung · steignug · steigugn · steigungg · steigunng
  • Steigungen ← setigungen · ssteigungen · stegiungen · steiggungen · steignugen · steigugnen · steigunegn · steigungenn

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Steigung" and "Steigungen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡʊŋ] versus [ˈʃtaɪ̯ɡʊŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Steigung" or "Steigungen"?
"Steigung" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,151 in our German list, against #36,645 for "Steigungen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Steigung" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Steigungen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #848,959 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Steigung" and "Steigungen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Steigerungen vs Steigungen". 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 #848,959 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