Which to use
“Steuer” is a noun and “steuern” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,156
- “Steuer” frequency rank
- #2,042
- “steuern” frequency rank
- 5198
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Steuer | steuern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Vorrichtung zum Lenken eines Fahrzeuges | ein Fahrzeug oder ein technisches Gerät lenken |
Where the eye mixes Steuer and steuern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. Steuer runs 6 letters (CCVVVC) against steuern's 7 (CCVVVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: Steuer vs steuern
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Steuer is [ˈʃtɔɪ̯ɐ] while steuern is [ˈʃtɔɪ̯ɐn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “Steuer” sits inside “steuern”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5198, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Steuer is recorded at frequency rank #3,156, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɔɪ̯ɐ]. steuern is at rank #2,042, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɔɪ̯ɐn].
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 5198, this pair ranks #1,995,512 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Steuer vs steuern
Shared letters: erstu. Private to "Steuer": -. Private to "steuern": n.
"Steuer" · 6 letters · shape CCVVVC · "steuern" · 7 letters · shape CCVVVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Steuer" for "steuern" ever safe?
Frequency check: "Steuer" vs "steuern" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Steuer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "steuern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,995,512 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Steuer" and "steuern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "steter vs Steuer". 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 #1,995,512 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.