stärktevsstarrteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,523
“stärkte” frequency rank
#27,067
“starrte” frequency rank
75590
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stärkte starrte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stärken 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs starren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stärkte and starrte apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
stärkte
7 ch
starrte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stärkte ([ˈʃtɛʁktə]) and starrte ([ˈʃtaʁtə]) 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 75590, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stärkte is recorded at frequency rank #48,523, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛʁktə]. starrte is at rank #27,067, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaʁtə].

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 75590, this pair ranks #304,290 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of stärkte vs starrte

Shared letters: erst. Private to "stärkte": . Private to "starrte": a.

"stärkte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV  ·  "starrte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • starrtesatrrte · sstarrte · starret · starrtte · strarte · sttarrte · tsarrte

Frequency comparison

stärkte#48,523
starrte#27,067

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stärkte" and "starrte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɛʁktə] versus [ˈʃtaʁtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stärkte" or "starrte"?
"starrte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #27,067 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.

Remembering stärkte vs starrte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “stärkte” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list