stolpernvsstolperteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,140
“stolpern” frequency rank
#39,050
“stolperte” frequency rank
63190
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stolpern stolperte
Definition (beinahe) stürzen, (beinahe) hinfallen, straucheln 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stolpern

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stolpern and stolperte apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
stolpern
9 ch
stolperte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stolpern ([ˈʃtɔlpɐn]) and stolperte ([ˈʃtɔlpɐtə]) 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 63190, 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]. stolperte is at rank #39,050, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɔlpɐtə].

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 63190, this pair ranks #685,569 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stolpern vs stolperte

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

"stolpern" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC  ·  "stolperte" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stolpernsotlpern · sstolpern · stlopern · stoleprn · stollpern · stolpenr · stolpernn · stolperrn
  • stolpertesotlperte · sstolperte · stloperte · stoleprte · stollperte · stolperet · stolperrte · stolpertte

Frequency comparison

stolpern#24,140
stolperte#39,050

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stolpern" and "stolperte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɔlpɐn] versus [ˈʃtɔlpɐtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stolpern" or "stolperte"?
"stolpern" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #24,140 in our German list, against #39,050 for "stolperte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stolpern vs stolperte

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 “stolpern” 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