Which to use
“Sterne” and “stone” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,992
- “Sterne” frequency rank
- #9,099
- “stone” frequency rank
- 12091
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Sterne | stone |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Stern | Stein |
Where the eye mixes Sterne and stone
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between Sterne and stone
A purely visual mix-up. Sterne ([ˈʃtɛʁnə]) and stone ([stəʊn]) 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 12091, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Sterne is recorded at frequency rank #2,992, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁnə]. stone is at rank #9,099, tagged as anoun, pronounced [stəʊn].
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 12091, this pair ranks #1,966,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Sterne vs stone
Shared letters: enst. Private to "Sterne": r. Private to "stone": o.
"Sterne" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "stone" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Sterne" and "stone" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Sterne" or "stone"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Sterne" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stone" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,966,230 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Sterne" and "stone" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stone vs stoned". 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 #1,966,230 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.