Which to use
“straf” is a verb and “straff” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #30,307
- “straf” frequency rank
- #29,805
- “straff” frequency rank
- 60112
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | straf | straff |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs strafen | nicht durchhängend |
Same sound, different letters: straf vs straff
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 5 letters.
Same sound, different spelling - straf / straff
Say them out loud and nothing separates them: straf and straff carry the same recorded pronunciation, [ʃtʁaːf]. Grammar is what tells them apart: one is averb, the other anadjective, so most sentences will only accept one of them. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “straf” sits inside “straff”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60112, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
straf is recorded at frequency rank #30,307, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃtʁaːf]. straff is at rank #29,805, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ʃtʁaf].
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 60112, this pair ranks #799,118 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of straf vs straff
Shared letters: afrst. Private to "straf": -. Private to "straff": -.
"straf" · 5 letters · shape CCCVC · "straff" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "straf" for "straff" ever safe?
Frequency check: "straf" vs "straff" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "straf" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "straff" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #799,118 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "straf" and "straff" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "straf vs Streu". 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 #799,118 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.