steifen

[ˈʃtaɪ̯fn̩]

/[ˈʃtaɪ̯fn̩]/ verb

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“steifen” has 10 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #22,517. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#22,517
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
10
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - etwas steif machen; anspannen

Corpus desk

Index DE-steifen · steifen · German

steifen · rank #22,517 · 10 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #22,517
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-3 3 vowels
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-MID 10 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH Statuten

Nearest frequency peer: Statuten (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „steifen“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „steifen“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

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

steifen vs Stein
57% similar
steifen vs Steine
57% similar
steifen vs Stufen
57% similar

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

Key facts for steifen
PropertyValue
Headwordsteifen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechVerb
IPA[ˈʃtaɪ̯fn̩]
Letters7
Frequency rank#22,517
Misspellings tracked10
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „steifen“

Diese Skala geht vom Kern des Alltagdeutschen (links) bis zum seltenen Langschwanz (rechts).steifenliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

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

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „Statuten“ (#22,516), „Stettin“ (#22,518), „Sporen“ (#22,515). Unter 8,027 „S“-Lemmata liegt „steifen“ bei #22,517. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 10 spelling variants around steifen (IPA [ˈʃtaɪ̯fn̩]), averb. Corpus frequency is #22,517 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 10 likely wrong-spelling variants for steifen, with forms such as "setifen", "ssteifen", and "stefien". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "Stein", "Steine", "Stufen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

Our source data has no etymology on file for this entry, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is steifen, spelled S-T-E-I-F-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    etwas steif machen; anspannen
  2. 2
    steif werden
  3. 3
    (Wäsche) mit Stärke steif machen
  4. 4
    durch Balken oder Ähnlichem stützen

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how steifen appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Er steifte die Schultern und marschierte einigemal im Zimmer auf und ab.
  2. Nach und nach versteift der gesamte obere Bewegungsapparat in einem Zeitraum von 20 bis 30 Jahren.

Synonyms

versteifenstärkenabsteifen

Antonyms

aufweichenerschlaffen

This word in other languages

stiffen(English)tensar(Español)raidir(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • setifen
  • ssteifen
  • stefien
  • steiefn
  • steifenn
  • steiffen
  • steifne
  • stiefen
  • stteifen
  • tseifen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

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

setifen2ssteifen1stefien2steiefn2steifenn1steiffen1steifne2stiefen2
Edit distance from "steifen"

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 "steifen"?
"steifen" is spelled S-T-E-I-F-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃtaɪ̯fn̩].
What does "steifen" mean?
As a verb, "steifen" means: etwas steif machen; anspannen
What words are commonly confused with "steifen"?
"steifen" is commonly confused with "Stein", "Steine", "Stufen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "steifen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "steifen" is [ˈʃtaɪ̯fn̩]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "steifen" come from?
"steifen" 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.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "steifen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 7 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Stettin#22,518stinken#22,520Sotschi#22,510säubern#22,528

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (10 here; floor ≥5).

Stücks10 variantsTeppiche10 variantsscooter10 variantsSchrein10 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list