streichenvsstreikenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“streichen” and “streiken” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#5,430
“streichen” frequency rank
#17,734
“streiken” frequency rank
23164
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature streichen streiken
Definition Farbe mit einem Pinsel auf einen Untergrund auftragen einen Streik durchführen, die Arbeit niederlegen

Where the spellings diverge

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

9 ch
streichen
8 ch
streiken

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. streichen ([ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩]) and streiken ([ˈʃtʁaɪ̯kn̩]) 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 23164, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

streichen is recorded at frequency rank #5,430, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩]. streiken is at rank #17,734, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaɪ̯kn̩].

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 23164, this pair ranks #1,864,954 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of streichen vs streiken

Shared letters: einrst. Private to "streichen": ch. Private to "streiken": k.

"streichen" · 9 letters · shape CCCVVCCVC  ·  "streiken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • streichensrteichen · sstreichen · sterichen · strecihen · streicchen · streicehn · streichenn · streichhen
  • streikensrteiken · sstreiken · steriken · streiekn · streikenn · streikken · streikne · strekien

Frequency comparison

streichen#5,430
streiken#17,734

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "streichen" and "streiken" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈʃtʁaɪ̯çn̩] versus [ˈʃtʁaɪ̯kn̩]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "streichen" or "streiken"?
"streichen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,430 in our German list, against #17,734 for "streiken". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering streichen vs streiken

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “streichen” 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