Which to use
“Stele” and “Stilen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #40,226
- “Stele” frequency rank
- #49,273
- “Stilen” frequency rank
- 89499
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stele | Stilen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Grabstein, Gedenkstein der Antike, Pfeiler mit einer Inschrift- oder Bildtafel; heute auch moderne freistehende Informationstafel | Dativ Plural des Substantivs Stil |
Where the eye mixes Stele and Stilen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Stele runs 5 letters (CCVCV) against Stilen's 6 (CCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between Stele and Stilen
A purely visual mix-up. Stele ([ˈʃteːlə]) and Stilen ([ˈʃtiːlən]) 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 89499, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Stele is recorded at frequency rank #40,226, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃteːlə]. Stilen is at rank #49,273, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtiːlən].
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 89499, this pair ranks #56,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of Stele vs Stilen
Shared letters: elst. Private to "Stele": -. Private to "Stilen": in.
"Stele" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "Stilen" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Stele" for "Stilen" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Stele" or "Stilen"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Stele" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Stilen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #56,603 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stele" and "Stilen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stilen vs Stuten". 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 #56,603 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.