stärktvsstärkteWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#11,979
“stärkt” frequency rank
#48,523
“stärkte” frequency rank
60502
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stärkt stärkte
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stärken 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stärken

Where the eye mixes stärkt and stärkte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. stärkt runs 6 letters (CCVCCC) against stärkte's 7 (CCVCCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.

6 ch
stärkt
7 ch
stärkte

Look-alike desk: stärkt vs stärkte

A purely visual mix-up. stärkt ([ʃtɛʁkt]) and stärkte ([ˈʃtɛʁktə]) 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) - “stärkt” sits inside “stärkte”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60502, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stärkt is recorded at frequency rank #11,979, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃtɛʁkt]. stärkte is at rank #48,523, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁktə].

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 60502, this pair ranks #784,614 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stärkt vs stärkte

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

"stärkt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC  ·  "stärkte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Do "stärkt" and "stärkte" mean the same thing in a sentence?
No. They are said differently ([ʃtɛʁkt] versus [ˈʃtɛʁktə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "stärkt" vs "stärkte" - which ranks higher?
"stärkt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,979 in our German list, against #48,523 for "stärkte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "stärkt" and "stärkte" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "stärkt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "stärkte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #784,614 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "stärkt" and "stärkte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkster vs stärkte". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #784,614 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