Which to use
“stärkte” and “stürzte” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,523
- “stärkte” frequency rank
- #7,995
- “stürzte” frequency rank
- 56518
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | stärkte | stürzte |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stärken | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stürzen |
Where the eye mixes stärkte and stürzte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. stärkte and stürzte follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCVCCCV). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses stärkte with stürzte
A purely visual mix-up. stärkte ([ˈʃtɛʁktə]) and stürzte ([ˈʃtʏʁt͡stə]) 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 56518, 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]. stürzte is at rank #7,995, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʏʁt͡stə].
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 56518, this pair ranks #937,085 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of stärkte vs stürzte
Shared letters: erst. Private to "stärkte": kä. Private to "stürzte": zü.
"stärkte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV · "stürzte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "stärkte" for "stürzte" ever safe?
Which is more common, "stärkte" or "stürzte"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "stärkte" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "stürzte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #937,085 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "stärkte" and "stürzte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkster vs stärkte". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #937,085 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.