stolpernvsstolpertConfusable pair

Which to use

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

#24,140
“stolpern” frequency rank
#29,346
“stolpert” frequency rank
53486
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stolpern stolpert
Definition (beinahe) stürzen, (beinahe) hinfallen, straucheln 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stolpern

Where the eye mixes stolpern and stolpert

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 7 letters in sequence. stolpern and stolpert follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

8 ch
stolpern
8 ch
stolpert

Why the eye confuses stolpern with stolpert

A purely visual mix-up. stolpern ([ˈʃtɔlpɐn]) and stolpert ([ˈʃtɔlpɐt]) 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 a single letter - n in “stolpern” becomes t in “stolpert”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53486, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stolpern is recorded at frequency rank #24,140, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɔlpɐn]. stolpert is at rank #29,346, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɔlpɐt].

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 53486, this pair ranks #1,056,132 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stolpern vs stolpert

Shared letters: eloprst. Private to "stolpern": n. Private to "stolpert": -.

"stolpern" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC  ·  "stolpert" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stolpern ← sotlpern · sstolpern · stlopern · stoleprn · stollpern · stolpenr · stolpernn · stolperrn
  • stolpert ← sotlpert · sstolpert · stlopert · stoleprt · stollpert · stolperrt · stolpertt · stolpetr

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stolpern" and "stolpert" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɔlpɐn] versus [ˈʃtɔlpɐt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stolpern" or "stolpert"?
"stolpern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,140 in our German list, against #29,346 for "stolpert". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "stolpern" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "stolpert" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,056,132 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "stolpern" and "stolpert" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stolpert vs stolperte". 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 #1,056,132 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list