stinkenvsstinktWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#22,520
“stinken” frequency rank
#9,811
“stinkt” frequency rank
32331
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stinken stinkt
Definition (sehr) übel schlecht riechen, üblen Geruch verbreiten 3. Person Singular Präsens Indikativ des Verbs stinken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stinken and stinkt apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
stinken
6 ch
stinkt

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. stinken ([ˈʃtɪŋkn̩]) and stinkt ([ʃtɪŋkt]) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 32331, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

stinken is recorded at frequency rank #22,520, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtɪŋkn̩]. stinkt is at rank #9,811, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtɪŋkt].

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 32331, this pair ranks #1,709,922 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of stinken vs stinkt

Shared letters: iknst. Private to "stinken": e. Private to "stinkt": -.

"stinken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "stinkt" · 6 letters · shape CCVCCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stinkensitnken · sstinken · stiknen · stinekn · stinkenn · stinkken · stinkne · stinnken
  • stinktsitnkt · sstinkt · stiknt · stinkkt · stinktt · stinnkt · stintk · stnikt

Frequency comparison

stinken#22,520
stinkt#9,811

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stinken" and "stinkt" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtɪŋkn̩] versus [ʃtɪŋkt]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "stinken" or "stinkt"?
"stinkt" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,811 in our German list, against #22,520 for "stinken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering stinken vs stinkt

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “stinken” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list