stumpfvsstumpfenWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#11,537
“stumpf” frequency rank
#31,286
“stumpfen” frequency rank
42823
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stumpf stumpfen
Definition nicht scharf (bei Schneidegeräten), sodass es nicht mehr möglich ist zu schneiden Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs stumpf

Where the eye mixes stumpf and stumpfen

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. stumpf runs 6 letters (CCVCCC) against stumpfen's 8 (CCVCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
stumpf
8 ch
stumpfen

Look-alike desk: stumpf vs stumpfen

A purely visual mix-up. stumpf ([ʃtʊmp͡f]) and stumpfen ([ˈʃtʊmp͡fn̩]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “stumpf” sits inside “stumpfen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42823, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stumpf is recorded at frequency rank #11,537, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃtʊmp͡f]. stumpfen is at rank #31,286, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtʊmp͡fn̩].

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 42823, this pair ranks #1,437,359 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stumpf vs stumpfen

Shared letters: fmpstu. Private to "stumpf": -. Private to "stumpfen": en.

"stumpf" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC  ·  "stumpfen" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stumpf ← sstumpf · stmupf · sttumpf · stumfp · stummpf · stumpff · stumppf · stupmf
  • stumpfen ← sstumpfen · stmupfen · sttumpfen · stumfpen · stummpfen · stumpefn · stumpfenn · stumpffen

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stumpf" and "stumpfen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃtʊmp͡f] versus [ˈʃtʊmp͡fn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stumpf" or "stumpfen"?
"stumpf" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,537 in our German list, against #31,286 for "stumpfen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "stumpf" and "stumpfen" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "stumpf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "stumpfen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,437,359 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "stumpf" and "stumpfen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stumpfen vs Sümpfe". 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 #1,437,359 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