starrenvsstarrteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#11,759
“starren” frequency rank
#27,067
“starrte” frequency rank
38826
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature starren starrte
Definition bewegungslos auf jemanden oder etwas schauen 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs starren

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set starren and starrte apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
starren
7 ch
starrte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. starren ([ˈʃtaʁən]) 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 38826, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

starren is recorded at frequency rank #11,759, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaʁən]. 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 38826, this pair ranks #1,553,597 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of starren vs starrte

Shared letters: aerst. Private to "starren": n. Private to "starrte": -.

"starren" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "starrte" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • starrensatrren · sstarren · staren · starern · starrenn · starrne · straren · sttarren
  • starrtesatrrte · sstarrte · starret · starrtte · strarte · sttarrte · tsarrte

Frequency comparison

starren#11,759
starrte#27,067

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "starren" and "starrte" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtaʁən] versus [ˈʃtaʁtə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "starren" or "starrte"?
"starren" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #11,759 in our German list, against #27,067 for "starrte". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering starren 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 “starren” 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