Which to use
“Stärke” is a noun and “stecke” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #2,998
- “Stärke” frequency rank
- #16,004
- “stecke” frequency rank
- 19002
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Stärke | stecke |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Kraft, Macht, Potenz, Vermögen, insbesondere | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stecken |
Where the eye mixes Stärke and stecke
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. Stärke and stecke follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses Stärke with stecke
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Stärke is [ˈʃtɛʁkə] while stecke is [ˈʃtɛkə]. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19002, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Stärke is recorded at frequency rank #2,998, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁkə]. stecke is at rank #16,004, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛkə].
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 19002, this pair ranks #1,912,764 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Stärke vs stecke
Shared letters: ekst. Private to "Stärke": rä. Private to "stecke": c.
"Stärke" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV · "stecke" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- stecke ← setcke · sstecke · stceke · steccke · stecek · steckke · stekce · sttecke
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Stärke" for "stecke" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Stärke" or "stecke"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Stärke" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stecke" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,912,764 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Stärke" and "stecke" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stecke vs stockte". 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 #1,912,764 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.