stärkstevsstärksterTell them apart

Which to use

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

#7,672
“stärkste” frequency rank
#48,522
“stärkster” frequency rank
56194
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stärkste stärkster
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs stark Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs stark

Where the eye mixes stärkste and stärkster

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence. stärkste runs 8 letters (CCVCCCCV) against stärkster's 9 (CCVCCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

8 ch
stärkste
9 ch
stärkster

Look-alike desk: stärkste vs stärkster

A purely visual mix-up. stärkste ([ˈʃtɛʁkstə]) and stärkster ([ˈʃtɛʁkstɐ]) 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 “stärkster”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56194, 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]. stärkster is at rank #48,522, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁkstɐ].

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 56194, this pair ranks #949,721 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stärkste vs stärkster

Shared letters: ekrstä. Private to "stärkste": -. Private to "stärkster": -.

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

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stärkste" and "stärkster" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɛʁkstə] versus [ˈʃtɛʁkstɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "stärkste" vs "stärkster" - which ranks higher?
"stärkste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,672 in our German list, against #48,522 for "stärkster". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "stärkste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "stärkster" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #949,721 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "stärkste" and "stärkster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkster vs stärkte". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #949,721 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list