stecktenvsstriktenConfusable pair

Quick tell: steckten is a verb, strikten is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“steckten” is a verb and “strikten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,906
“steckten” frequency rank
#33,320
“strikten” frequency rank
56226
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature steckten strikten
Definition 1. Person Plural Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs stecken Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs strikt

Where the eye mixes steckten and strikten

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. steckten (CCVCCCVC) and strikten (CCCVCCVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.

8 ch
steckten
8 ch
strikten

Look-alike desk: steckten vs strikten

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: steckten is [ˈʃtɛktn̩] while strikten is [ˈʃtʁɪktn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 56226, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

steckten is recorded at frequency rank #22,906, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɛktn̩]. strikten is at rank #33,320, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtʁɪktn̩].

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 56226, this pair ranks #948,498 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of steckten vs strikten

Shared letters: eknst. Private to "steckten": c. Private to "strikten": ir.

"steckten" · 8 letters · shape CCVCCCVC  ·  "strikten" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • steckten ← setckten · ssteckten · stcekten · stecckten · stecketn · steckkten · stecktenn · stecktne
  • strikten ← srtikten · sstrikten · stirkten · striketn · strikkten · striktenn · striktne · striktten

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "steckten" and "strikten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "steckten" is a verb and "strikten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "steckten" vs "strikten" - which ranks higher?
"steckten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,906 in our German list, against #33,320 for "strikten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "steckten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "strikten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #948,498 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "steckten" and "strikten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "strikten vs strippen". 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 #948,498 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