Which to use
“Stele” is a noun and “stolz” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #40,226
- “Stele” frequency rank
- #1,141
- “stolz” frequency rank
- 41367
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stele | stolz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Grabstein, Gedenkstein der Antike, Pfeiler mit einer Inschrift- oder Bildtafel; heute auch moderne freistehende Informationstafel | seiner Fähigkeiten und Leistungen bewusst und erfreut darüber, im Selbstgefühl gestärkt |
Where the eye mixes Stele and stolz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Stele (CCVCV) and stolz (CCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses Stele with stolz
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Stele is [ˈʃteːlə] while stolz is [ʃtɔlt͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 41367, 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]. stolz is at rank #1,141, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃtɔlt͡s].
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 41367, this pair ranks #1,481,560 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Stele vs stolz
Shared letters: lst. Private to "Stele": e. Private to "stolz": oz.
"Stele" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV · "stolz" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Stele" and "stolz" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary German text, does "Stele" or "stolz" show up more?
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 "Stele" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stolz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,481,560 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stele" and "stolz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stele vs Stilen". 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 #1,481,560 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.