StrickenvsstriktenWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#20,071
“Stricken” frequency rank
#33,320
“strikten” frequency rank
53391
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

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

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Stricken and strikten apart are highlighted. They share 7 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

8 ch
Stricken
8 ch
strikten

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Stricken is [ˈʃtʁɪkn̩] 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 53391, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Stricken is recorded at frequency rank #20,071, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈʃtʁɪkn̩]. 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 53391, this pair ranks #1,059,843 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of Stricken vs strikten

Shared letters: eiknrst. Private to "Stricken": c. Private to "strikten": -.

"Stricken" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC  ·  "strikten" · 8 letters · shape CCCVCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Strickensrticken · sstricken · stircken · strciken · striccken · stricekn · strickenn · strickken
  • striktensrtikten · sstrikten · stirkten · striketn · strikkten · striktenn · striktne · striktten

Frequency comparison

Stricken#20,071
strikten#33,320

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Stricken" and "strikten" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Stricken" is a noun and "strikten" an adjective, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Stricken" or "strikten"?
"Stricken" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #20,071 in our German list, against #33,320 for "strikten". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Stricken vs strikten

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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