Which to use
“Stein” and “Sterne” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #1,863
- “Stein” frequency rank
- #2,992
- “Sterne” frequency rank
- 4855
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stein | Sterne |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mineralisches Material | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Stern |
Where the eye mixes Stein and Sterne
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Stein with Sterne
A purely visual mix-up. Stein ([ʃtaɪ̯n]) and Sterne ([ˈʃtɛʁnə]) 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 4855, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Stein is recorded at frequency rank #1,863, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃtaɪ̯n]. Sterne is at rank #2,992, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁnə].
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 4855, this pair ranks #1,996,474 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Stein vs Sterne
Shared letters: enst. Private to "Stein": i. Private to "Sterne": r.
"Stein" · 5 letters · shape CCVVC · "Sterne" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Stein" and "Sterne" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Stein" vs "Sterne" - which ranks higher?
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 "Stein" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Sterne" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,996,474 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stein" and "Sterne" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Satin vs Stein". 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 #1,996,474 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.