Which to use
“Strafe” and “strike” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,557
- “Strafe” frequency rank
- #16,295
- “strike” frequency rank
- 18852
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Strafe | strike |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Sanktion, wegen Fehlverhalten erhaltene Reaktion | Schlag, Angriff |
Where the eye mixes Strafe and strike
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Strafe vs strike
A purely visual mix-up. Strafe ([ˈʃtʁaːfə]) and strike ([stɹaɪk]) 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 18852, 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]. strike is at rank #16,295, tagged as anoun, pronounced [stɹaɪk].
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 18852, this pair ranks #1,914,268 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Strafe vs strike
Shared letters: erst. Private to "Strafe": af. Private to "strike": ik.
"Strafe" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV · "strike" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Strafe" and "strike" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Strafe" or "strike"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Strafe" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "strike" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,914,268 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Strafe" and "strike" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "strike vs strikes". 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 #1,914,268 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.