Which to use
“stärken” is a verb and “Stärkung” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,487
- “stärken” frequency rank
- #7,994
- “Stärkung” frequency rank
- 11481
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stärken | Stärkung |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | stark, belastbar machen; kräftiger, leistungsfähiger machen | Befestigung/Förderung/Unterstützung von jemandem oder etwas |
Where the eye mixes stärken and Stärkung
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. stärken runs 7 letters (CCVCCVC) against Stärkung's 8 (CCVCCVCC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses stärken with Stärkung
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: stärken is [ˈʃtɛʁkn̩] while Stärkung is [ˈʃtɛʁkʊŋ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11481, 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]. Stärkung is at rank #7,994, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁkʊŋ].
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 11481, this pair ranks #1,969,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of stärken vs Stärkung
Shared letters: knrstä. Private to "stärken": e. Private to "Stärkung": gu.
"stärken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "Stärkung" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCVCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "stärken" for "Stärkung" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "stärken" or "Stärkung" 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 "Stärkung" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,969,674 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stärken" and "Stärkung" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärken vs stärkte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,969,674 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.