stärktvsstarrtWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#11,979
“stärkt” frequency rank
#24,135
“starrt” frequency rank
36114
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stärkt starrt
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stärken 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs starren

Where the eye mixes stärkt and starrt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.

6 ch
stärkt
6 ch
starrt

Visual trap between stärkt and starrt

A purely visual mix-up. stärkt ([ʃtɛʁkt]) and starrt ([ʃtaʁt]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36114, 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]. starrt is at rank #24,135, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtaʁt].

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 36114, this pair ranks #1,623,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of stärkt vs starrt

Shared letters: rst. Private to "stärkt": . Private to "starrt": a.

"stärkt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC  ·  "starrt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • starrtsatrrt · sstarrt · starrtt · startr · strart · sttarrt · tsarrt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stärkt" and "starrt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃtɛʁkt] versus [ʃtaʁt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Frequency check: "stärkt" vs "starrt" - which ranks higher?
"stärkt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,979 in our German list, against #24,135 for "starrt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

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

  • Full dictionary entry for "stärkt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "starrt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,623,587 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "stärkt" and "starrt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkte vs starrt". Nearby pair
  • Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes

Confusion rank #1,623,587 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