Which to use
“sterbe” and “stirbt” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #9,988
- “sterbe” frequency rank
- #3,078
- “stirbt” frequency rank
- 13066
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sterbe | stirbt |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sterben | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sterben |
Where the eye mixes sterbe and stirbt
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. sterbe (CCVCCV) and stirbt (CCVCCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses sterbe with stirbt
A purely visual mix-up. sterbe ([ˈʃtɛʁbə]) and stirbt ([ʃtɪʁpt]) 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 13066, 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]. stirbt is at rank #3,078, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtɪʁpt].
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 13066, this pair ranks #1,960,327 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sterbe vs stirbt
Shared letters: brst. Private to "sterbe": e. Private to "stirbt": i.
"sterbe" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "stirbt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sterbe" and "stirbt" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "sterbe" vs "stirbt" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "sterbe" and "stirbt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "sterbe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stirbt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,960,327 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sterbe" and "stirbt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "steife vs sterbe". 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 #1,960,327 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.