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 eye mixes starren and starrte
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. starren (CCVCCVC) and starrte (CCVCCCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses starren with starrte
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
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "starren" for "starrte" ever safe?
Frequency check: "starren" vs "starrte" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "starren" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "starrte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,553,597 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "starren" and "starrte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stärkte vs starrte". 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 #1,553,597 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.