sterben

\ˈʃtɛʁbn̩\

/\ˈʃtɛʁbn̩\/ verb

The verdict

“sterben” is uncommon French (outside the top frequency list), classed as a verb. The kind of spelling people second-guess.

Unranked
below top-frequency French
7
letters

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - Mourir.

Corpus desk

Index FR-sterben · sterben · French

sterben · unranked · 0 variants · 0 confusables

  • FREQ-UNRANKED Unranked
  • LEN-LONG 7 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-0 No pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-THIN "S" thin
  • PHOTO-UNK Peer pending

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.

Key facts for sterben
PropertyValue
Headwordsterben
LanguageFrench
Part of speechVerb
IPA\ˈʃtɛʁbn̩\
Letters7
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs0
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Longue queue: rang de « sterben » en français

sterbenreste hors des 100.000 mots français les plus fréquents, dans la longue queue du vocabulaire technique, archaïque ou rare, là où le doute d'orthographe frappe.

Beyond rank #100,000. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Rare enough to double-check

sterben is uncommon French outside the top frequency list, classed as averb, transcribed \ˈʃtɛʁbn̩\. Rarity is why readers land here mid-draft. 3 senses are on record.

No generated misspelling entries exist for sterben in our index, typically a sign the spelling maps closely to how the word sounds. Our confusable-pair dataset has no match for it, since no other headword is close enough in sound or shape to pair with it.

No explicit etymology string is stored for this entry, leaving phoneme-to-grapheme mapping as the best guide to its spelling rather than a borrowing history. The correct French form is sterben, spelled S-T-E-R-B-E-N.

Definition

  1. 1
    Mourir.
  2. 2
    Mourir de maladie
  3. 3
    Mourir, souffrir de quelque chose.

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

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

  1. Er starb im Alter von 82 Jahren.
  2. Als unser Vater starb, vererbte er uns nicht nur ein Grundstück mit einem alten Haus, sondern auch beträchtliche Schulden.

Synonyms

abkratzenablebenabnippelndahinscheidendaran glauben müssendas Zeitliche segnendem Schöpfer gegenübertretenden Geist aufgebenden Jordan runter gehenden letzten Schnaufer machenden Löffel abgebenden Schöpfer treffendie Augen für immer schließendie Gänseblümchen von unten wachsen sehendie Radieschen von unten betrachtendraufgehenein Zimmer im Würmerhotel mietenentschlafenheimgehenhopsgehenin die ewigen Jagdgründe eingehenin die Grube fallenins Gras beißenkrepierenscheidenüber den Jordan gehenum die Ecke gehenumkommenvergehenverreckenverscheidenversterben

Antonyms

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "sterben"?
"sterben" is spelled S-T-E-R-B-E-N. The IPA pronunciation is \ˈʃtɛʁbn̩\.
What does "sterben" mean?
As a verb, "sterben" means: Mourir.
How do you pronounce "sterben"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "sterben" is \ˈʃtɛʁbn̩\. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "sterben" come from?
"sterben" is a French word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
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.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list