stiftenvsStiftesWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: stiften is a verb, Stiftes is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“stiften” is a verb and “Stiftes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#20,069
“stiften” frequency rank
#37,227
“Stiftes” frequency rank
57296
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stiften Stiftes
Definition eine Stiftung gründen und mit Geld oder anderen Werten ausstatten Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Stift

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stiften and Stiftes apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
stiften
7 ch
Stiftes

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: stiften is [ˈʃtɪftn̩] while Stiftes is [ˈʃtɪftəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “stiften” becomes s in “Stiftes”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57296, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stiften is recorded at frequency rank #20,069, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɪftn̩]. Stiftes is at rank #37,227, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɪftəs].

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 57296, this pair ranks #906,775 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stiften vs Stiftes

Shared letters: efist. Private to "stiften": n. Private to "Stiftes": -.

"stiften" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "Stiftes" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stiftensitften · sstiften · stfiten · stifetn · stifften · stiftenn · stiftne · stiftten
  • Stiftessitftes · sstiftes · stfites · stifets · stifftes · stiftess · stiftse · stifttes

Frequency comparison

stiften#20,069
Stiftes#37,227

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stiften" and "Stiftes" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "stiften" is a verb and "Stiftes" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "stiften" or "Stiftes"?
"stiften" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,069 in our German list, against #37,227 for "Stiftes". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stiften vs Stiftes

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “stiften”; for a noun, it's “Stiftes”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “stiften” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list