Which to use
“Stich” and “Stift” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #6,726
- “Stich” frequency rank
- #6,108
- “Stift” frequency rank
- 12834
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stich | Stift |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | das Eindringen eines spitzen Gegenstandes in einen Körper | künstlich hergestellter länglicher, meist zylindrischer Körper aus Metall oder Holz, oft mit einer Spitze, der vielfachen Verwendungsmöglichkeiten dient |
Where the eye mixes Stich and Stift
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Stich and Stift follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: Stich vs Stift
A purely visual mix-up. Stich ([ʃtɪç]) and Stift ([ʃtɪft]) 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 12834, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Stich is recorded at frequency rank #6,726, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃtɪç]. Stift is at rank #6,108, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtɪft].
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 12834, this pair ranks #1,961,764 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Stich vs Stift
Shared letters: ist. Private to "Stich": ch. Private to "Stift": f.
"Stich" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "Stift" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Stich" and "Stift" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "Stich" vs "Stift" - 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 "Stich" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Stift" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,961,764 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stich" and "Stift" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stift vs surft". 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 #1,961,764 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.