stecktvsstreckteWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#1,862
“steckt” frequency rank
#33,838
“streckte” frequency rank
35700
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature steckt streckte
Definition 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stecken 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs strecken

Where the eye mixes steckt and streckte

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.

6 ch
steckt
8 ch
streckte

Why the eye confuses steckt with streckte

A purely visual mix-up. steckt ([ʃtɛkt]) and streckte ([ˈʃtʁɛktə]) 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 35700, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

steckt is recorded at frequency rank #1,862, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃtɛkt]. streckte is at rank #33,838, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʁɛktə].

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 35700, this pair ranks #1,633,685 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of steckt vs streckte

Shared letters: cekst. Private to "steckt": -. Private to "streckte": r.

"steckt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC  ·  "streckte" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stecktsetckt · ssteckt · stcekt · stecckt · steckkt · stecktt · stectk · stekct
  • strecktesrteckte · sstreckte · sterckte · strcekte · strecckte · strecket · streckkte · strecktte

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "steckt" for "streckte" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ʃtɛkt] versus [ˈʃtʁɛktə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "steckt" or "streckte" show up more?
"steckt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #1,862 in our German list, against #33,838 for "streckte". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.

  • Full dictionary entry for "steckt" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "streckte" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,633,685 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "steckt" and "streckte" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "stockte vs streckte". 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 #1,633,685 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