Which to use
“Steine” and “Sterns” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,850
- “Steine” frequency rank
- #38,432
- “Sterns” frequency rank
- 42282
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Steine | Sterns |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Stein | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Stern |
Where the eye mixes Steine and Sterns
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Steine (CCVVCV) and Sterns (CCVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Steine with Sterns
A purely visual mix-up. Steine ([ˈʃtaɪ̯nə]) and Sterns ([ʃtɛʁns]) 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 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42282, 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]. Sterns is at rank #38,432, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtɛʁns].
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 42282, this pair ranks #1,454,199 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Steine vs Sterns
Shared letters: enst. Private to "Steine": i. Private to "Sterns": r.
"Steine" · 6 letters · shape CCVVCV · "Sterns" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Steine" for "Sterns" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Steine" or "Sterns"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Steine" and "Sterns" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Steine" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Sterns" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,454,199 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Steine" and "Sterns" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "steps vs Sterns". 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 #1,454,199 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.