Sternchen

[ˈʃtɛʁnçən]

/[ˈʃtɛʁnçən]/ noun

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

The verdict

“Sternchen” has 15 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #18,713. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#18,713
frequency rank, German
8,027
“S” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
4
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - kleiner, punktförmiger, mit dem bloßen Auge erkennbarer Himmelskörper

Corpus desk

Index DE-sternchen · Sternchen · German

Sternchen · rank #18,713 · 15 variants · 4 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #18,713
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 4 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-DENSE 8,027
  • PHOTO-FINISH step

Nearest frequency peer: step (-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 „Sternchen“

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

corpus weight

What this shows „Sternchen“ 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).

Sternchen vs Sternen
78% similar
Sternchen vs Strichen
78% similar
Sternchen vs stechen
67% similar

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

Key facts for Sternchen
PropertyValue
HeadwordSternchen
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[ˈʃtɛʁnçən]
Letters9
Frequency rank#18,713
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs4
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „Sternchen“

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

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

Die Skala ist logarithmisch (jeder Tick ≈ 10× seltener). Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „step“ (#18,712), „straight“ (#18,714), „Startschuss“ (#18,711). Unter 8,027 „S“-Lemmata liegt „Sternchen“ bei #18,713. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around Sternchen (IPA [ˈʃtɛʁnçən]), anoun. Corpus frequency is #18,713 among 8,027 “S” headwords. Wiktionary lists 5 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for Sternchen, with forms such as "setrnchen", "ssternchen", and "stenrchen". 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 4 confusable-pair relationships, "Sternen", "Strichen", "stechen", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling pattern is best understood through pronunciation rather than a traceable origin. The correct German form is Sternchen, spelled S-T-E-R-N-C-H-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    kleiner, punktförmiger, mit dem bloßen Auge erkennbarer Himmelskörper
  2. 2
    fünf- oder sechszackiges, kleines Symbol (Asteriskus)
  3. 3
    Kosebezeichnung für einen geliebten oder verehrten Menschen
  4. 4
    Symbol mit mehreren Strahlen, die gewöhnlich im gleichen Winkel zueinander stehen
  5. 5
    (weniger bekannte oder wichtige) Berühmtheit, Prominenter

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Am Himmel funkeln die Sternchen.
  2. „Das Kleid war in London gekauft worden, und es war mit blauen Blümchen und Sternchen bestickt.“

Synonyms

BlümleinSonneAsteroidHimmelskörperKometPlanetAsteriskusAsterism

This word in other languages

asterisk(English)asterisco(Español)astérisque(Français)asterisco(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • setrnchen
  • ssternchen
  • stenrchen
  • stercnhen
  • sterncchen
  • sterncehn
  • sternchenn
  • sternchhen
  • sternchne
  • sternhcen
  • sternnchen
  • sterrnchen
  • strenchen
  • stternchen
  • tsernchen

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Sternchen - counted as single-character edits (an insertion, a deletion, or a substituted letter). The larger the bar, the easier the typo is to spot; one-edit slips are the ones that sneak past readers.

setrnchen2ssternchen1stenrchen2stercnhen2sterncchen1sterncehn2sternchenn1sternchhen1
Edit distance from "Sternchen"

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 "Sternchen"?
"Sternchen" is spelled S-T-E-R-N-C-H-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈʃtɛʁnçən].
What does "Sternchen" mean?
As a noun, "Sternchen" means: kleiner, punktförmiger, mit dem bloßen Auge erkennbarer Himmelskörper
What words are commonly confused with "Sternchen"?
"Sternchen" is commonly confused with "Sternen", "Strichen", "stechen". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "Sternchen"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "Sternchen" is [ˈʃtɛʁnçən]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "Sternchen" come from?
"Sternchen" 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 "Sternchen", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

taktische#18,719teuersten#18,721Textilien#18,722transfers#18,727

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

sofortiger15 variantsTschechen15 variantsSchwerter15 variantsSchuldner15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list