stinkenvsStrickenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: stinken is a verb, Stricken is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“stinken” is a verb and “Stricken” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#22,520
“stinken” frequency rank
#20,071
“Stricken” frequency rank
42591
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature stinken Stricken
Definition (sehr) übel schlecht riechen, üblen Geruch verbreiten Dativ Plural des Substantivs Strick

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set stinken and Stricken apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
stinken
8 ch
Stricken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: stinken is [ˈʃtɪŋkn̩] while Stricken is [ˈʃtʁɪkn̩]. 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 42591, 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]. Stricken is at rank #20,071, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtʁɪkn̩].

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 42591, this pair ranks #1,444,641 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of stinken vs Stricken

Shared letters: eiknst. Private to "stinken": -. Private to "Stricken": cr.

"stinken" · 7 letters · shape CCVCCVC  ·  "Stricken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stinkensitnken · sstinken · stiknen · stinekn · stinkenn · stinkken · stinkne · stinnken
  • Strickensrticken · sstricken · stircken · strciken · striccken · stricekn · strickenn · strickken

Frequency comparison

stinken#22,520
Stricken#20,071

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "stinken" and "Stricken" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "stinken" is a verb and "Stricken" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "stinken" or "Stricken"?
"Stricken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,071 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 Stricken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “stinken”; for a noun, it's “Stricken”.
  • 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list