Which to use
“strafen” is a verb and “straff” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,599
- “strafen” frequency rank
- #29,805
- “straff” frequency rank
- 36404
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | strafen | straff |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | eine unangenehme Erfahrung machen lassen, als Folge einer nicht erwünschten Handlung; eine Strafe auferlegen; jemanden strafen mit etwas | nicht durchhängend |
Where the eye mixes strafen and straff
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: strafen vs straff
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: strafen is [ˈʃtʁaːfn̩] while straff is [ʃtʁaf]. 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 adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 36404, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
strafen is recorded at frequency rank #6,599, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaːfn̩]. 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 36404, this pair ranks #1,616,452 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of strafen vs straff
Shared letters: afrst. Private to "strafen": en. Private to "straff": -.
"strafen" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCVC · "straff" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "strafen" for "straff" ever safe?
Which is more common, "strafen" or "straff"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "strafen" 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 #1,616,452 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "strafen" and "straff" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "straff vs straffen". 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 #1,616,452 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.