Which to use
“starten” is a verb and “states” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,990
- “starten” frequency rank
- #14,678
- “states” frequency rank
- 16668
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | starten | states |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | einen Vorgang beginnen | Plural des Substantivs state |
Where the eye mixes starten and states
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between starten and states
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: starten is [ˈʃtaʁtn̩] while states is [steits]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16668, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
starten is recorded at frequency rank #1,990, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtaʁtn̩]. states is at rank #14,678, tagged as anoun, pronounced [steits].
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 16668, this pair ranks #1,933,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of starten vs states
Shared letters: aest. Private to "starten": nr. Private to "states": -.
"starten" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC · "states" · 6 letters · shape CCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "starten" for "states" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "starten" or "states" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "starten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "states" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,933,945 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "starten" and "states" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "states vs Stuten". 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 #1,933,945 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.