Stiefvater
[ˈʃtiːfˌfaːtɐ]
The verdict
“Stiefvater” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #24,139 in German word frequency and used as a noun.
- #24,139
- frequency rank, German
- 10
- letters
- 15
- tracked misspellings
According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - der nach einer Wiederverheiratung der Mutter (infolge von Tod oder Scheidung) neue Ehemann der Mutter, der mit seinem Stiefkind (Stieftochter, Stiefsohn) nicht leiblich verwandt ist
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Headword | Stiefvater |
| Language | German |
| Part of speech | Noun |
| IPA | [ˈʃtiːfˌfaːtɐ] |
| Letters | 10 |
| Frequency rank | #24,139 |
| Misspellings tracked | 15 |
| Confusable pairs | 0 |
| Source | Wiktionary (kaikki.org) |
Where “Stiefvater” sits in German frequency
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
The German entry for Stiefvater is 10 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ˈʃtiːfˌfaːtɐ]. Corpus data places it at rank #24,139 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "der nach einer Wiederverheiratung der Mutter (infolge von Tod oder Scheidung) neue Ehemann der Mutter, der mit seinem Stiefkind (Stieftochter, Stiefsohn) nicht leiblich verwandt ist".
Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for Stiefvater, with forms such as "sitefvater", "sstiefvater", and "steifvater". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, which tends to mean the word is visually distinctive enough to stand on its own.
No borrowing history is documented for this entry, so its spelling is best explained by sound-to-letter mapping rather than etymology. The correct German form is Stiefvater, spelled S-T-I-E-F-V-A-T-E-R.
Definition
- 1der nach einer Wiederverheiratung der Mutter (infolge von Tod oder Scheidung) neue Ehemann der Mutter, der mit seinem Stiefkind (Stieftochter, Stiefsohn) nicht leiblich verwandt ist
Antonyms
This word in other languages
Common misspellings
Also misspelled as: sitefvater,sstiefvater,steifvater,stiefavter,stieffvater,stiefvaetr,stiefvaterr,stiefvatre,stiefvatter,stiefvtaer,stiefvvater,stievfater,stifevater,sttiefvater,tsiefvater
Misspelling Pattern Breakdown
How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of Stiefvater - measured in single-character edits (insert, delete, or substitute a letter). Larger bars are easier to catch; one-edit slips are the sneakiest.
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 "Stiefvater"?
What does "Stiefvater" mean?
What are common misspellings of "Stiefvater"?
How do you pronounce "Stiefvater"?
What language does "Stiefvater" come from?
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Using “Stiefvater”
The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.
- The one correct German spelling is S-T-I-E-F-V-A-T-E-R - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
- Say it as [ˈʃtiːfˌfaːtɐ] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
- 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.