step, steppe

Step or step means to lift the foot and set it down a short distance from where it was, then to move the other foot and the body with it--
Anyone who wants to volunteer, step forward.
Don't step in the puddle!

Step also means one pace; one movement of the foot, or the distance covered by one pace--
"That's one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind."
 Come on, just one more step.

Step also means one stage in a series, mentally or physically--
Step one, open the box and read the directions.
Just try it one step at a time.
The first step is to admit that you have a problem.

Step may mean a riser in a set of stairs--
She is sitting on the front step, waiting for the ice-cream truck.
The first step is high; be careful.

Step may mean the form of a dance; the particular moves or rules of a popular dance--
They are trying to learn a new dance step.
This step is complicated; pay attention.

Steppe or steppe ( rhymes with step ) means a treeless plain or expanse of grassland--
The wind on the steppe blew the snow into a blizzard.
They raise cattle on a large tract of steppe.

Now that you know that, you can say--
"Each step was difficult in the deep snow of the steppe."

Note--"step--", used as a prefix ( added to the beginning of a word ) indicates a relation made through the remarriage of a parent--
When your father gets married, you will have a step-mother.
Did you have a nice visit with your stepsister?