StrahlenvsstrahlteWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#8,632
“Strahlen” frequency rank
#22,154
“strahlte” frequency rank
30786
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Strahlen strahlte
Definition Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Strahl 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs strahlen

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Strahlen and strahlte apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Strahlen
8 ch
strahlte

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Strahlen and strahlte form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 30786, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Strahlen is recorded at frequency rank #8,632, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaːlən]. strahlte is at rank #22,154, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaːltə].

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 30786, this pair ranks #1,741,098 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

Strahlen#8,632
strahlte#22,154

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Strahlen" and "strahlte" be used interchangeably?
No, "Strahlen" and "strahlte" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering Strahlen vs strahlte

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Strahlen”; for a verb, it's “strahlte”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Strahlen” 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