stärktvsstirbtWhich spelling fits?

Which to use

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

#11,979
“stärkt” frequency rank
#3,078
“stirbt” frequency rank
15057
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stärkt stirbt
Definition 2. Person Plural Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stärken 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs sterben

Where the eye mixes stärkt and stirbt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. stärkt and stirbt follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.

6 ch
stärkt
6 ch
stirbt

Why the eye confuses stärkt with stirbt

A purely visual mix-up. stärkt ([ʃtɛʁkt]) and stirbt ([ʃtɪʁpt]) 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 15057, 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]. stirbt is at rank #3,078, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtɪʁpt].

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 15057, this pair ranks #1,946,709 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of stärkt vs stirbt

Shared letters: rst. Private to "stärkt": kä. Private to "stirbt": bi.

"stärkt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC  ·  "stirbt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stirbt ← sitrbt · sstirbt · stibrt · stirbbt · stirbtt · stirrbt · stirtb · stribt

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stärkt" and "stirbt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃtɛʁkt] versus [ʃtɪʁpt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stärkt" or "stirbt"?
"stirbt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,078 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.

After this comparison

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 "stirbt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,946,709 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "stärkt" and "stirbt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkt vs stärkte". 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 #1,946,709 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