StufevsStürzeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,997
“Stufe” frequency rank
#27,960
“Stürze” frequency rank
30957
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Stufe Stürze
Definition meist einzelner Teil einer Treppe, der zum Höher- oder Tiefersteigen dient, Trittfläche Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Sturz

Where the spellings diverge

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

5 ch
Stufe
6 ch
Stürze

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Stufe ([ˈʃtuːfə]) and Stürze ([ˈʃtʏʁt͡sə]) 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 30957, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Stufe is recorded at frequency rank #2,997, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtuːfə]. Stürze is at rank #27,960, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtʏʁt͡sə].

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 30957, this pair ranks #1,737,620 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Stufe vs Stürze

Shared letters: est. Private to "Stufe": fu. Private to "Stürze": rzü.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Stufesstufe · stfue · sttufe · stuef · stuffe · sutfe · tsufe

Frequency comparison

Stufe#2,997
Stürze#27,960

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Stufe" and "Stürze" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtuːfə] versus [ˈʃtʏʁt͡sə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Stufe" or "Stürze"?
"Stufe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,997 in our German list, against #27,960 for "Stürze". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Stufe vs Stürze

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 “Stufe” 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