Which to use
“streng” is an adjective and “strunz” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,777
- “streng” frequency rank
- #49,280
- “strunz” frequency rank
- 53057
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | streng | strunz |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | auf genaue Einhaltung der Regeln wertlegend | 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs strunzen |
Where the eye mixes streng and strunz
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. streng and strunz follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CCCVCC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Why the eye confuses streng with strunz
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: streng is [ʃtʁɛŋ] while strunz is [ʃtʁʊnt͡s]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53057, 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]. strunz is at rank #49,280, tagged as averb, pronounced [ʃtʁʊnt͡s].
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 53057, this pair ranks #1,072,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of streng vs strunz
Shared letters: nrst. Private to "streng": eg. Private to "strunz": uz.
"streng" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC · "strunz" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "streng" for "strunz" ever safe?
Which is more common, "streng" or "strunz"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "streng" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "strunz" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,072,773 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "streng" and "strunz" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "struck vs strunz". 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 #1,072,773 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.