stiftenvsstifteteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“stiften” and “stiftete” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#20,069
“stiften” frequency rank
#42,847
“stiftete” frequency rank
62916
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stiften stiftete
Definition eine Stiftung gründen und mit Geld oder anderen Werten ausstatten 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stiften

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
stiften
8 ch
stiftete

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stiften ([ˈʃtɪftn̩]) and stiftete ([ˈʃtɪftətə]) 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 62916, 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]. stiftete is at rank #42,847, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɪftətə].

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 62916, this pair ranks #695,487 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stiften vs stiftete

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

"stiften" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "stiftete" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stiftensitften · sstiften · stfiten · stifetn · stifften · stiftenn · stiftne · stiftten
  • stiftetesitftete · sstiftete · stfitete · stifette · stifftete · stifteet · stiftette · stifttee

Frequency comparison

stiften#20,069
stiftete#42,847

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stiften" and "stiftete" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɪftn̩] versus [ˈʃtɪftətə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stiften" or "stiftete"?
"stiften" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,069 in our German list, against #42,847 for "stiftete". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stiften vs stiftete

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • 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