StufevsStussWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,997
“Stufe” frequency rank
#42,853
“Stuss” frequency rank
45850
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Stufe Stuss
Definition meist einzelner Teil einer Treppe, der zum Höher- oder Tiefersteigen dient, Trittfläche etwas, das (ärgerlicherweise) unsinnig geäußert oder getan wurde; etwas Unsinniges, Sinnloses, Törichtes

Where the eye mixes Stufe and Stuss

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. Stufe (CCVCV) and Stuss (CCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

5 ch
Stufe
5 ch
Stuss

Look-alike desk: Stufe vs Stuss

A purely visual mix-up. Stufe ([ˈʃtuːfə]) and Stuss ([ʃtʊs]) 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 45850, 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]. Stuss is at rank #42,853, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtʊs].

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 45850, this pair ranks #1,339,119 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Stufe vs Stuss

Shared letters: stu. Private to "Stufe": ef. Private to "Stuss": -.

"Stufe" · 5 letters · shape CCVCV  ·  "Stuss" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Stufe ← sstufe · stfue · sttufe · stuef · stuffe · sutfe · tsufe
  • Stuss ← sstuss · stsus · sttuss · stus · stuß · sutss · tsuss

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Stufe" and "Stuss" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtuːfə] versus [ʃtʊs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "Stufe" vs "Stuss" - which ranks higher?
"Stufe" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,997 in our German list, against #42,853 for "Stuss". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "Stufe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Stuss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,339,119 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "Stufe" and "Stuss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Stuss vs SUVs". 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 #1,339,119 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list