Which to use
“streicheln” and “streichen” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #15,755
- “streicheln” frequency rank
- #5,430
- “streichen” frequency rank
- 21185
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | streicheln | streichen |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | etwas/jemanden streicheln; (meist mit der flachen Hand bzw. mit den Fingern) sanft über das Äußere eines Tieres, Menschen oder selten auch Gegenstandes fahren | Farbe mit einem Pinsel auf einen Untergrund auftragen |
Where the eye mixes streicheln and streichen
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. streicheln runs 10 letters (CCCVVCCVCC) against streichen's 9 (CCCVVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: streicheln vs streichen
A purely visual mix-up. streicheln ([ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çl̩n]) and streichen ([ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 21185, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
streicheln is recorded at frequency rank #15,755, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çl̩n]. streichen is at rank #5,430, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩].
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 21185, this pair ranks #1,889,204 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of streicheln vs streichen
Shared letters: cehinrst. Private to "streicheln": l. Private to "streichen": -.
"streicheln" · 10 letters · shape CCCVVCCVCC · "streichen" · 9 letters · shape CCCVVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- streicheln ← srteicheln · sstreicheln · stericheln · streciheln · streiccheln · streicehln · streichelln · streichelnn
- streichen ← srteichen · sstreichen · sterichen · strecihen · streicchen · streicehn · streichenn · streichhen
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "streicheln" for "streichen" ever safe?
Frequency check: "streicheln" vs "streichen" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "streicheln" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "streichen" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,889,204 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "streicheln" and "streichen" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "streicheln vs Strichen". 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 #1,889,204 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.