stärkstevsstärktWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: stärkste is a adjective, stärkt is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“stärkste” is an adjective and “stärkt” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#7,672
“stärkste” frequency rank
#11,979
“stärkt” frequency rank
19651
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stärkste stärkt
Definition Nominativ Singular Femininum Superlativ der starken Flexion des Adjektivs stark 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stärken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stärkste and stärkt apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
stärkste
6 ch
stärkt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: stärkste is [ˈʃtɛʁkstə] while stärkt is [ʃtɛʁkt]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19651, 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]. stärkt is at rank #11,979, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtɛʁkt].

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 19651, this pair ranks #1,906,076 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of stärkste vs stärkt

Shared letters: krstä. Private to "stärkste": e. Private to "stärkt": -.

"stärkste" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCCV  ·  "stärkt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Frequency comparison

stärkste#7,672
stärkt#11,979

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stärkste" and "stärkt" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "stärkste" is an adjective and "stärkt" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "stärkste" or "stärkt"?
"stärkste" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,672 in our German list, against #11,979 for "stärkt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stärkste vs stärkt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “stärkste”; for a verb, it's “stärkt”.
  • 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