Which to use
“sperrte” and “starrte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #36,636
- “sperrte” frequency rank
- #27,067
- “starrte” frequency rank
- 63703
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | sperrte | starrte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs sperren | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs starren |
Where the eye mixes sperrte and starrte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: sperrte vs starrte
A purely visual mix-up. sperrte ([ˈʃpɛʁtə]) and starrte ([ˈʃtaʁtə]) 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 63703, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
sperrte is recorded at frequency rank #36,636, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃpɛʁtə]. starrte is at rank #27,067, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaʁtə].
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 63703, this pair ranks #667,318 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of sperrte vs starrte
Shared letters: erst. Private to "sperrte": p. Private to "starrte": a.
"sperrte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV · "starrte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "sperrte" for "starrte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "sperrte" or "starrte" show up more?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "sperrte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "starrte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #667,318 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "sperrte" and "starrte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkte vs starrte". 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 #667,318 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.