streitenvsstreitigWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: streiten is a verb, streitig is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“streiten” is a verb and “streitig” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#4,563
“streiten” frequency rank
#31,284
“streitig” frequency rank
35847
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature streiten streitig
Definition wütend eine Auseinandersetzung haben den Gegenstand eines Rechtsstreits oder einer Zweifelsfrage bildend

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set streiten and streitig apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
streiten
8 ch
streitig

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: streiten is [ˈʃtʁaɪ̯tn̩] while streitig is [ˈʃtʁaɪ̯tɪç]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35847, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

streiten is recorded at frequency rank #4,563, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaɪ̯tn̩]. streitig is at rank #31,284, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtʁaɪ̯tɪç].

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 35847, this pair ranks #1,630,080 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of streiten vs streitig

Shared letters: eirst. Private to "streiten": n. Private to "streitig": g.

"streiten" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC  ·  "streitig" · 8 letters · shape CCCVVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • streitensrteiten · sstreiten · steriten · streietn · streitenn · streitne · streitten · stretien
  • streitigsrteitig · sstreitig · steritig · streiitg · streitgi · streitigg · streittig · stretiig

Frequency comparison

streiten#4,563
streitig#31,284

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "streiten" and "streitig" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "streiten" is a verb and "streitig" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "streiten" or "streitig"?
"streiten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #4,563 in our German list, against #31,284 for "streitig". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering streiten vs streitig

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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