stärktevsstörteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#48,523
“stärkte” frequency rank
#23,328
“störte” frequency rank
71851
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stärkte störte
Definition 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stärken 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stören

Where the spellings diverge

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

7 ch
stärkte
6 ch
störte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stärkte ([ˈʃtɛʁktə]) and störte ([ˈʃtøːɐ̯tə]) 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 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71851, 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]. störte is at rank #23,328, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtøːɐ̯tə].

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 71851, this pair ranks #404,971 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of stärkte vs störte

Shared letters: erst. Private to "stärkte": . Private to "störte": ö.

"stärkte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV  ·  "störte" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCV

Frequency comparison

stärkte#48,523
störte#23,328

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stärkte" and "störte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɛʁktə] versus [ˈʃtøːɐ̯tə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stärkte" or "störte"?
"störte" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,328 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 störte

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