Which to use
“sterbe” and “stirb” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,988
- “sterbe” frequency rank
- #27,072
- “stirb” frequency rank
- 37060
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sterbe | stirb |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sterben | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sterben |
Where the eye mixes sterbe and stirb
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. sterbe runs 6 letters (CCVCCV) against stirb's 5 (CCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between sterbe and stirb
A purely visual mix-up. sterbe ([ˈʃtɛʁbə]) and stirb ([ʃtɪʁp]) 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 37060, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sterbe is recorded at frequency rank #9,988, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁbə]. stirb is at rank #27,072, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtɪʁp].
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 37060, this pair ranks #1,599,825 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sterbe vs stirb
Shared letters: brst. Private to "sterbe": e. Private to "stirb": i.
"sterbe" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "stirb" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sterbe" for "stirb" ever safe?
Which is more common, "sterbe" or "stirb"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sterbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stirb" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,599,825 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sterbe" and "stirb" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sire vs stirb". 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 #1,599,825 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.