StrichvsstrickeWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Strich is a noun, stricke is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Strich” is a noun and “stricke” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#5,029
“Strich” frequency rank
#40,867
“stricke” frequency rank
45896
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Strich stricke
Definition eine in der Regel von einem Schreibgerät gezogene meist kurze unregelmäßige Linie 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stricken

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Strich and stricke apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
Strich
7 ch
stricke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Strich is [ʃtʁɪç] while stricke is [ˈʃtʁɪkə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 45896, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Strich is recorded at frequency rank #5,029, classified as anoun, pronounced [ʃtʁɪç]. stricke is at rank #40,867, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈʃtʁɪkə].

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 45896, this pair ranks #1,337,469 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Strich vs stricke

Shared letters: cirst. Private to "Strich": h. Private to "stricke": ek.

"Strich" · 6 letters · shape CCCVCC  ·  "stricke" · 7 letters · shape CCCVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Strichsrtich · sstrich · stirch · strcih · stricch · strichh · strihc · strrich
  • strickesrticke · sstricke · stircke · strcike · striccke · stricek · strickke · strikce

Frequency comparison

Strich#5,029
stricke#40,867

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Strich" and "stricke" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Strich" is a noun and "stricke" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Strich" or "stricke"?
"Strich" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,029 in our German list, against #40,867 for "stricke". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Strich vs stricke

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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