Which to use
“stärken” and “stärkte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #3,487
- “stärken” frequency rank
- #48,523
- “stärkte” frequency rank
- 52010
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stärken | stärkte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | stark, belastbar machen; kräftiger, leistungsfähiger machen | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stärken |
Where the eye mixes stärken and stärkte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. stärken (CCVCCVC) and stärkte (CCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses stärken with stärkte
A purely visual mix-up. stärken ([ˈʃtɛʁkn̩]) and stärkte ([ˈʃtɛʁktə]) 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 52010, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
stärken is recorded at frequency rank #3,487, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁkn̩]. stärkte is at rank #48,523, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁktə].
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 52010, this pair ranks #1,113,402 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of stärken vs stärkte
Shared letters: ekrstä. Private to "stärken": n. Private to "stärkte": -.
"stärken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "stärkte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "stärken" for "stärkte" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "stärken" or "stärkte" 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 "stärken" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stärkte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,113,402 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stärken" and "stärkte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkster vs stärkte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,113,402 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.