Stolen and stollen are commonly confused words that are pronounced in the same way but are spelled differently and have different meanings, which makes them homophones. We will examine the different meanings of the homophonic words stolen and stollen, the word origins of the terms, and some examples of their English usage in sentences.
Stolen is the past participle form of the verb steal, which means to take something without someone’s permission, to take something without paying for it, to take something that you have no right to possess. The word stolen is derived from the Old English word stelan, which means to take something that does not belong to you.
Stollen is a German yeast bread that contains fruit and nuts. The word stollen is borrowed from German, and in German, the “s” is pronounced with a “sh” sound.
Examples
Latino voters who fled dictatorships fear election was stolen from President Trump (USA Today)
A search of their vehicle revealed several items that had been reported stolen by the person renting the burglarized storage unit, Matlock added. (The Napa Valley Register)
The Dresden almond stollen, inspired by the German festive bread, made with candied orange peels and 12-month-aged rum raisins, is soaked in homemade clarified butter and best served one week after purchase to ensure the butter is evenly soaked in. (The Hong Kong Tatler)
Suthikiati Chirathivat, chairman, together with Thirayuth Chirathivat, CEO, of Centara Hotels & Resorts and some of the hotel’s management team recently participated in the ceremonial “Christmas Stollen Mixing Ceremony” that precedes the festive season every year at Zing Bakery, Centara Grand at CentralWorld. (The Bangkok Post)