strickvsstrickeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#16,842
“strick” frequency rank
#40,867
“stricke” frequency rank
57709
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature strick stricke
Definition 2. Person Singular Imperativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stricken 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs stricken

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
strick
7 ch
stricke

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. strick ([ʃtʁɪk]) and stricke ([ˈʃtʁɪkə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “strick” sits inside “stricke”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 57709, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

strick is recorded at frequency rank #16,842, classified as averb, pronounced [ʃtʁɪk]. 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 57709, this pair ranks #890,742 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of strick vs stricke

Shared letters: cikrst. Private to "strick": -. Private to "stricke": e.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • stricksrtick · sstrick · stirck · strcik · stricck · strickk · strikc · strrick
  • strickesrticke · sstricke · stircke · strcike · striccke · stricek · strickke · strikce

Frequency comparison

strick#16,842
stricke#40,867

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "strick" and "stricke" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ʃtʁɪk] versus [ˈʃtʁɪkə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "strick" or "stricke"?
"strick" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,842 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 strick vs stricke

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 “strick” 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