Which to use
“Strafe” and “Strass” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,557
- “Strafe” frequency rank
- #31,283
- “Strass” frequency rank
- 33840
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Strafe | Strass |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sanktion, wegen Fehlverhalten erhaltene Reaktion | Imitation eines Diamanten aus bleihaltigem Glasfluss mit starker Lichtbrechung |
Where the eye mixes Strafe and Strass
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Strafe vs Strass
A purely visual mix-up. Strafe ([ˈʃtʁaːfə]) and Strass ([ʃtʁas]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 33840, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Strafe is recorded at frequency rank #2,557, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaːfə]. Strass is at rank #31,283, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ʃtʁas].
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 33840, this pair ranks #1,676,903 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Strafe vs Strass
Shared letters: arst. Private to "Strafe": ef. Private to "Strass": -.
"Strafe" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "Strass" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Strafe" for "Strass" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Strafe" or "Strass" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "Strafe" and "Strass" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Strafe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Strass" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,676,903 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Strafe" and "Strass" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Strass vs stresst". 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 #1,676,903 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.