Which to use
“stolpern” and “stottern” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #24,140
- “stolpern” frequency rank
- #39,649
- “stottern” frequency rank
- 63789
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stolpern | stottern |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (beinahe) stürzen, (beinahe) hinfallen, straucheln | mit krankhaft häufigem Wiederholen von Lauten, Silben, Wörtern sprechen |
Where the eye mixes stolpern and stottern
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. stolpern and stottern follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses stolpern with stottern
A purely visual mix-up. stolpern ([ˈʃtɔlpɐn]) and stottern ([ˈʃtɔtɐn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 63789, 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]. stottern is at rank #39,649, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɔtɐn].
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 63789, this pair ranks #664,271 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of stolpern vs stottern
Shared letters: enorst. Private to "stolpern": lp. Private to "stottern": -.
"stolpern" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC · "stottern" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "stolpern" and "stottern" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "stolpern" or "stottern"?
Useful next steps
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 "stottern" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #664,271 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stolpern" and "stottern" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stetten vs stottern". 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 #664,271 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.