stärkstevsstärkstenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“stärkste” and “stärksten” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#7,672
“stärkste” frequency rank
#6,237
“stärksten” frequency rank
13909
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stärkste stärksten
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs stark Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs stark

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stärkste and stärksten apart are highlighted. They share 8 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
stärkste
9 ch
stärksten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stärkste ([ˈʃtɛʁkstə]) and stärksten ([ˈʃtɛʁkstn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “stärkste” sits inside “stärksten”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13909, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stärkste is recorded at frequency rank #7,672, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁkstə]. stärksten is at rank #6,237, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁkstn̩].

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 13909, this pair ranks #1,954,871 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of stärkste vs stärksten

Shared letters: ekrstä. Private to "stärkste": -. Private to "stärksten": n.

"stärkste" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCCV  ·  "stärksten" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCCCVC

Frequency comparison

stärkste#7,672
stärksten#6,237

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stärkste" and "stärksten" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɛʁkstə] versus [ˈʃtɛʁkstn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stärkste" or "stärksten"?
"stärksten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,237 in our German list, against #7,672 for "stärkste". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stärkste vs stärksten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “stärkste” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list