Which to use
“steile” and “steril” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,421
- “steile” frequency rank
- #35,465
- “steril” frequency rank
- 49886
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | steile | steril |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs steil | ohne Krankheitskeime |
Where the eye mixes steile and steril
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. steile (CCVVCV) and steril (CCVCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: steile vs steril
A purely visual mix-up. steile ([ˈʃtaɪ̯lə]) and steril ([ˌʃteˈʁiːl]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49886, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
steile is recorded at frequency rank #14,421, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯lə]. steril is at rank #35,465, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˌʃteˈʁiːl].
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 49886, this pair ranks #1,194,668 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of steile vs steril
Shared letters: eilst. Private to "steile": -. Private to "steril": r.
"steile" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "steril" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "steile" for "steril" ever safe?
Which is more common, "steile" or "steril"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "steile" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "steril" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,194,668 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "steile" and "steril" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "steril vs storia". 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 #1,194,668 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.