stepsvsStussTell them apart

Which to use

“steps” and “Stuss” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#47,751
“steps” frequency rank
#42,853
“Stuss” frequency rank
90604
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature steps Stuss
Definition Plural des Substantivs step etwas, das (ärgerlicherweise) unsinnig geäußert oder getan wurde; etwas Unsinniges, Sinnloses, Törichtes

Where the eye mixes steps and Stuss

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.

5 ch
steps
5 ch
Stuss

Visual trap between steps and Stuss

A purely visual mix-up. steps ([stɛps]) and Stuss ([ʃtʊs]) 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 90604, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

steps is recorded at frequency rank #47,751, classified as anoun, pronounced [stɛps]. Stuss is at rank #42,853, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtʊs].

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 90604, this pair ranks #45,458 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of steps vs Stuss

Shared letters: st. Private to "steps": ep. Private to "Stuss": u.

"steps" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "Stuss" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stepssetps · ssteps · stepps · stepss · stesp · stpes · stteps · tseps
  • Stusssstuss · stsus · sttuss · stus · stuß · sutss · tsuss

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "steps" and "Stuss" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([stɛps] versus [ʃtʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "steps" or "Stuss" show up more?
"Stuss" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #42,853 in our German list, against #47,751 for "steps". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

After this comparison

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "steps" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Stuss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #45,458 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "steps" and "Stuss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "she's vs steps". 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 #45,458 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list