stärkstenvsstärksterWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#6,237
“stärksten” frequency rank
#48,522
“stärkster” frequency rank
54759
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stärksten stärkster
Definition Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Superlativs des Adjektivs stark Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Superlativs des Adjektivs stark

Where the eye mixes stärksten and stärkster

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 8 letters in sequence.

9 ch
stärksten
9 ch
stärkster

Why the eye confuses stärksten with stärkster

A purely visual mix-up. stärksten ([ˈʃtɛʁkstn̩]) 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 a single letter - n in “stärksten” becomes r in “stärkster”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 54759, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stärksten is recorded at frequency rank #6,237, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁkstn̩]. 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 54759, this pair ranks #1,006,185 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stärksten vs stärkster

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

"stärksten" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCCCVC  ·  "stärkster" · 9 letters · shape CCVCCCCVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stärksten" and "stärkster" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɛʁkstn̩] versus [ˈʃtɛʁkstɐ]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "stärksten" or "stärkster" show up more?
"stärksten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,237 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

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "stärksten" 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 #1,006,185 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "stärksten" and "stärkster" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkster vs stärkte". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #1,006,185 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