stolpernvsstoppenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#24,140
“stolpern” frequency rank
#3,999
“stoppen” frequency rank
28139
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stolpern stoppen
Definition (beinahe) stürzen, (beinahe) hinfallen, straucheln zum Stehen bringen oder zum Stehen gebracht werden

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
stolpern
7 ch
stoppen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stolpern ([ˈʃtɔlpɐn]) and stoppen ([ˈʃtɔpn̩]) 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 28139, 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]. stoppen is at rank #3,999, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɔpn̩].

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 28139, this pair ranks #1,789,882 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of stolpern vs stoppen

Shared letters: enopst. Private to "stolpern": lr. Private to "stoppen": -.

"stolpern" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC  ·  "stoppen" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stolpernsotlpern · sstolpern · stlopern · stoleprn · stollpern · stolpenr · stolpernn · stolperrn
  • stoppensotppen · sstoppen · stopen · stopepn · stoppenn · stoppne · stpopen · sttoppen

Frequency comparison

stolpern#24,140
stoppen#3,999

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stolpern" and "stoppen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɔlpɐn] versus [ˈʃtɔpn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stolpern" or "stoppen"?
"stoppen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,999 in our German list, against #24,140 for "stolpern". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stolpern vs stoppen

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