Which to use
“Sterbende” and “Sterbenden” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #31,808
- “Sterbende” frequency rank
- #21,782
- “Sterbenden” frequency rank
- 53590
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Sterbende | Sterbenden |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | weibliche Person, die so krank oder verletzt (siehe auch: sterbenskrank) ist, dass sie in wenigen Stunden oder Tagen sterben (= das Leben beenden, ableben) wird | Genitiv Singular der starken Flexion des Substantivs Sterbender |
Where the eye mixes Sterbende and Sterbenden
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. Sterbende runs 9 letters (CCVCCVCCV) against Sterbenden's 10 (CCVCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses Sterbende with Sterbenden
A purely visual mix-up. Sterbende ([ˈʃtɛʁbn̩də]) and Sterbenden ([ˈʃtɛʁbn̩dən]) 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 extra letter(s) - “Sterbende” sits inside “Sterbenden”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53590, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Sterbende is recorded at frequency rank #31,808, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁbn̩də]. Sterbenden is at rank #21,782, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁbn̩dən].
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 53590, this pair ranks #1,052,046 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of Sterbende vs Sterbenden
Shared letters: bdenrst. Private to "Sterbende": -. Private to "Sterbenden": -.
"Sterbende" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCCV · "Sterbenden" · 10 letters · shape CCVCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Sterbende ← setrbende · ssterbende · stebrende · sterbbende · sterbedne · sterbendde · sterbened · sterbennde
- Sterbenden ← setrbenden · ssterbenden · stebrenden · sterbbenden · sterbednen · sterbendden · sterbendenn · sterbendne
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Sterbende" and "Sterbenden" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Sterbende" vs "Sterbenden" - which ranks higher?
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 "Sterbende" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Sterbenden" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,052,046 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Sterbende" and "Sterbenden" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Sterbende vs störende". 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 #1,052,046 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.