Which to use
“Steine” and “Sternen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,850
- “Steine” frequency rank
- #7,116
- “Sternen” frequency rank
- 10966
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Steine | Sternen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Stein | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Stern |
Where the eye mixes Steine and Sternen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Steine with Sternen
A purely visual mix-up. Steine ([ˈʃtaɪ̯nə]) and Sternen ([ˈʃtɛʁnən]) 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 10966, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Steine is recorded at frequency rank #3,850, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtaɪ̯nə]. Sternen is at rank #7,116, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁnən].
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 10966, this pair ranks #1,972,390 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Steine vs Sternen
Shared letters: enst. Private to "Steine": i. Private to "Sternen": r.
"Steine" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "Sternen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Steine" and "Sternen" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Steine" or "Sternen"?
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 "Steine" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Sternen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,972,390 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Steine" and "Sternen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stelen vs Sternen". 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 #1,972,390 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.