steckvsstrecktTell them apart

Which to use

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

#18,397
“steck” frequency rank
#23,720
“streckt” frequency rank
42117
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature steck streckt
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stecken 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs strecken

Where the eye mixes steck and streckt

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.

5 ch
steck
7 ch
streckt

Visual trap between steck and streckt

A purely visual mix-up. steck ([ʃtɛk]) and streckt ([ʃtʁɛkt]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 42117, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

steck is recorded at frequency rank #18,397, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃtɛk]. streckt is at rank #23,720, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtʁɛkt].

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 42117, this pair ranks #1,459,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of steck vs streckt

Shared letters: cekst. Private to "steck": -. Private to "streckt": r.

"steck" · 5 letters · shape CCVCC  ·  "streckt" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stecksetck · ssteck · stcek · stecck · steckk · stekc · stteck · tseck
  • strecktsrteckt · sstreckt · sterckt · strcekt · strecckt · streckkt · strecktt · strectk

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "steck" for "streckt" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ʃtɛk] versus [ʃtʁɛkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "steck" or "streckt"?
"steck" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #18,397 in our German list, against #23,720 for "streckt". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Eye-level mix-up between "steck" and "streckt" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "steck" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "streckt" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,459,069 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "steck" and "streckt" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "streckt vs stresst". 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 #1,459,069 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list