Which to use
“stören” is a verb and “Störung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,390
- “stören” frequency rank
- #4,655
- “Störung” frequency rank
- 9045
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stören | Störung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | jemanden bei etwas belästigen, von etwas ablenken, einen Vorgang hemmen, ein Vorhaben hemmen, ärgerlicherweise aufhalten | unerwünschte Beeinträchtigung |
Where the eye mixes stören and Störung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses stören with Störung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: stören is [ˈʃtøːʁən] while Störung is [ˈʃtøːʁʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 9045, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stören is recorded at frequency rank #4,390, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtøːʁən]. Störung is at rank #4,655, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtøːʁʊŋ].
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 9045, this pair ranks #1,981,679 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stören vs Störung
Shared letters: nrstö. Private to "stören": e. Private to "Störung": gu.
"stören" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC · "Störung" · 7 letters · shape CCVCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "stören" for "Störung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "stören" or "Störung" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "stören" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Störung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,981,679 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stören" and "Störung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Störung vs strunz". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,981,679 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.