Stahl

[ʃtaːl]

/[ʃtaːl]/ noun

The verdict

“Stahl” is a regularly-used German word, ranked #3,620 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#3,620
frequency rank, German
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - metallische Legierung, deren Hauptbestandteil Eisen ist; der Kohlenstoffgehalt liegt zwischen 0,02% und 2,06%.

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

Stahl vs Star
60% similar
Stahl vs Stil
60% similar
Stahl vs steh
40% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for Stahl
PropertyValue
HeadwordStahl
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ʃtaːl]
Letters5
Frequency rank#3,620
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “Stahl” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). Stahl lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for Stahl is 5 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʃtaːl]. Corpus data places it at rank #3,620 in overall German word frequency, indicating it appears regularly in written and spoken text. Wiktionary records 2 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for Stahl, with forms such as "sathl", "sstahl", and "stahhl". Every one of these variants traces to a single-character edit -- an added or dropped letter, a swapped consonant, or a vowel swap -- the kind of slip a spell-checker is built to catch. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Star", "Stil", "steh", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This entry's etymology isn't recorded, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Stahl, spelled S-T-A-H-L.

Definition

  1. 1
    metallische Legierung, deren Hauptbestandteil Eisen ist; der Kohlenstoffgehalt liegt zwischen 0,02% und 2,06%.
  2. 2
    kurze zweischneidige, blanke Stichwaffe (Dolch, Schwert, Messer oder Ähnliches)

This word in other languages

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: sathl,sstahl,stahhl,stahll,stalh,sthal,sttahl,tsahl

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Stahl - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.

sathl2sstahl1stahhl1stahll1stalh2sthal2sttahl1tsahl2
Edit distance from "Stahl"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "Stahl"?
"Stahl" is spelled S-T-A-H-L. The IPA pronunciation is [ʃtaːl].
What does "Stahl" mean?
As a noun, "Stahl" means: metallische Legierung, deren Hauptbestandteil Eisen ist; der Kohlenstoffgehalt liegt zwischen 0,02% und 2,06%.
What words are commonly confused with "Stahl"?
"Stahl" is commonly confused with "Star", "Stil", "steh". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Stahl"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Stahl" is [ʃtaːl]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Stahl" come from?
"Stahl" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “Stahl”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is S-T-A-H-L - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʃtaːl] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “Star” - see the side-by-side comparison. Stahl vs Star
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list