Which to use
“starben” and “startet” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,883
- “starben” frequency rank
- #2,616
- “startet” frequency rank
- 8499
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | starben | startet |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs sterben | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs starten |
Where the eye mixes starben and startet
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: starben vs startet
A purely visual mix-up. starben ([ˈʃtaʁbn̩]) and startet ([ˈʃtaʁtət]) 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 8499, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
starben is recorded at frequency rank #5,883, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaʁbn̩]. startet is at rank #2,616, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaʁtət].
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 8499, this pair ranks #1,984,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of starben vs startet
Shared letters: aerst. Private to "starben": bn. Private to "startet": -.
"starben" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "startet" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "starben" and "startet" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "starben" vs "startet" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "starben" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "startet" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,984,039 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "starben" and "startet" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "starben vs Stuben". 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 #1,984,039 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.