Stücke vs Stufe, What's the Difference?

Which to use

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

#3,079
“Stücke” frequency rank: #2,997
“Stufe” frequency rank: 6076
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature	Stücke	Stufe
Definition	Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Stück	meist einzelner Teil einer Treppe, der zum Höher- oder Tiefersteigen dient, Trittfläche

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Stücke and Stufe apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch

Stücke

5 ch

Stufe

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Stücke ([ˈʃtʏkə]) and Stufe ([ˈʃtuːfə]) 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 6076, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Stücke is recorded at frequency rank #3,079, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtʏkə]. Stufe is at rank #2,997, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtuːfə].

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 6076, this pair ranks #1,992,804 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Stücke vs Stufe

Shared letters: est. Private to "Stücke": ckü. Private to "Stufe": fu.

"Stücke" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "Stufe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

Stufe ← sstufe · stfue · sttufe · stuef · stuffe · sutfe · tsufe

Frequency comparison

Stücke#3,079

Stufe#2,997

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Stücke" and "Stufe" be used interchangeably?

No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtʏkə] versus [ˈʃtuːfə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.

Which is more common, "Stücke" or "Stufe"?

"Stufe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,997 in our German list, against #3,079 for "Stücke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Stücke vs Stufe

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 “Stücke” entry
Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable