Which to use
“sperren” and “starren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #7,531
- “sperren” frequency rank
- #11,759
- “starren” frequency rank
- 19290
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sperren | starren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | den Zugang zu einem Gebiet oder Gebäude oder System verhindern | bewegungslos auf jemanden oder etwas schauen |
Where the eye mixes sperren and starren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. sperren and starren follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: sperren vs starren
A purely visual mix-up. sperren ([ˈʃpɛʁən]) and starren ([ˈʃtaʁən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19290, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sperren is recorded at frequency rank #7,531, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpɛʁən]. starren is at rank #11,759, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaʁən].
Glosses for this pair are partially populated in our dataset, but the full side-by-side definitions above should still guide you to the right choice.
With a confusion score of 19290, this pair ranks #1,909,899 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of sperren vs starren
Shared letters: enrs. Private to "sperren": p. Private to "starren": at.
"sperren" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "starren" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "sperren" and "starren" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "sperren" vs "starren" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "sperren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "starren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,909,899 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sperren" and "starren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "starren vs Stauden". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,909,899 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.