Which to use
“stark” is an adjective and “Sturm” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #454
- “stark” frequency rank
- #2,558
- “Sturm” frequency rank
- 3012
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stark | Sturm |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | mit Kraft ausgestattet, von Kraft geprägt, zeugend | sehr starker Wind |
Where the eye mixes stark and Sturm
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses stark with Sturm
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: stark is [ʃtaʁk] while Sturm is [ʃtʊʁm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 3012, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stark is recorded at frequency rank #454, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃtaʁk]. Sturm is at rank #2,558, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtʊʁm].
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 3012, this pair ranks #2,001,141 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stark vs Sturm
Shared letters: rst. Private to "stark": ak. Private to "Sturm": mu.
"stark" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC · "Sturm" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "stark" for "Sturm" ever safe?
Which is more common, "stark" or "Sturm"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "stark" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Sturm" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,001,141 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stark" and "Sturm" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stu vs Sturm". 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 #2,001,141 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.