strengvsstrengenWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#3,777
“streng” frequency rank
#9,462
“strengen” frequency rank
13239
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature streng strengen
Definition auf genaue Einhaltung der Regeln wertlegend Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs streng

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
streng
8 ch
strengen

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. streng ([ʃtʁɛŋ]) and strengen ([ˈʃtʁɛŋən]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “streng” sits inside “strengen”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 13239, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

streng is recorded at frequency rank #3,777, classified as anadj, pronounced [ʃtʁɛŋ]. strengen is at rank #9,462, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtʁɛŋən].

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 13239, this pair ranks #1,959,217 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of streng vs strengen

Shared letters: egnrst. Private to "streng": -. Private to "strengen": -.

"streng" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC  ·  "strengen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • strengsrteng · sstreng · sterng · stregn · strengg · strenng · strneg · strreng
  • strengensrtengen · sstrengen · sterngen · stregnen · strenegn · strengenn · strenggen · strengne

Frequency comparison

streng#3,777
strengen#9,462

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "streng" and "strengen" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃtʁɛŋ] versus [ˈʃtʁɛŋən]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "streng" or "strengen"?
"streng" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #3,777 in our German list, against #9,462 for "strengen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering streng vs strengen

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 “streng” 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