StrichenvsstriktenWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Strichen is a noun, strikten is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Strichen” is a noun and “strikten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#40,866
“Strichen” frequency rank
#33,320
“strikten” frequency rank
74186
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Strichen strikten
Definition Dativ Plural des Substantivs Strich Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs strikt

Where the spellings diverge

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

8 ch
Strichen
8 ch
strikten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Strichen is [ˈʃtʁɪçn̩] while strikten is [ˈʃtʁɪktn̩]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74186, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Strichen is recorded at frequency rank #40,866, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtʁɪçn̩]. strikten is at rank #33,320, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈʃtʁɪktn̩].

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 74186, this pair ranks #340,157 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Strichen vs strikten

Shared letters: einrst. Private to "Strichen": ch. Private to "strikten": k.

"Strichen" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "strikten" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Strichensrtichen · sstrichen · stirchen · strcihen · stricchen · stricehn · strichenn · strichhen
  • striktensrtikten · sstrikten · stirkten · striketn · strikkten · striktenn · striktne · striktten

Frequency comparison

Strichen#40,866
strikten#33,320

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Strichen" and "strikten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Strichen" is a noun and "strikten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Strichen" or "strikten"?
"strikten" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #33,320 in our German list, against #40,866 for "Strichen". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Strichen vs strikten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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