stark

[ʃtaʁk]

/[ʃtaʁk]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“stark” is in the everyday core of German, ranked #454 in German word frequency and used as an adjective.

#454
frequency rank, German
5
letters
8
tracked misspellings
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - mit Kraft ausgestattet, von Kraft geprägt, zeugend

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

stark vs STK
0% similar
stark vs Stau
40% similar
stark vs stay
60% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for stark
PropertyValue
Headwordstark
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ʃtaʁk]
Letters5
Frequency rank#454
Misspellings tracked8
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “stark” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). stark lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for stark is 5 letters long, classified as an adjective, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [ʃtaʁk]. Corpus data places it at rank #454 in overall German word frequency, putting it firmly in the everyday core of the language. Wiktionary records 15 distinct senses for this headword, so context determines which meaning a reader should apply.

Our generated misspelling index lists 8 likely wrong-spelling variants for stark, with forms such as "satrk", "sstark", and "stakr". Each of these forms differs from the correct spelling by one small edit: a doubled letter, a dropped silent letter, or a substituted vowel. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "STK", "Stau", "stay", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

This headword's origin isn't recorded in our source data, so any spelling logic here comes from how the word's sounds map to letters, not a documented origin story. The correct German form is stark, spelled S-T-A-R-K.

Definition

  1. 1
    mit Kraft ausgestattet, von Kraft geprägt, zeugend
  2. 2
    hohe Leistung erbringend; sehr leistungsfähig
  3. 3
    äußeren Einflüssen, Belastungen standhaltend (aufgrund von Größe, Dicke oder Ähnlichem)
  4. 4
    sehr, in hohem Maße; intensiv
  5. 5
    reich an bestimmten Stoffen, Inhalt
  6. 6
    von Macht, Einfluss geprägt, zeugend
  7. 7
    einen festen, beständigen Charakter habend, eine entschlossene Haltung aufweisend
  8. 8
    von bestimmter Dicke, bestimmtem Umfang
  9. 9
    von dicker Statur; beleibt
  10. 10
    in/von großer Anzahl, Menge
  11. 11
    eine bestimmte Anzahl (an Personen) aufweisend
  12. 12
    besonders gute Leistungen zeigend, bringend; tüchtig
  13. 13
    sich positiv abhebend; hervorragend, beeindruckend
  14. 14
    in der Konjugation (Flexion) durch Ablaut (Vokalwechsel in Wortstamm/Wortwurzel) gekennzeichnet
  15. 15
    bei Maskulina und Neutra durch die Endung „-s“/„-es“ im Genitiv Singular gekennzeichnet

Synonyms

kräftigkraftvolleffizientleistungsfähigleistungsstarkwirksambelastbardickfestrobuststabilwiderstandsfähigausgeprägtintensivheftiggewaltiggehaltvollgehaltreichhochkonzentrierteinflussreichmächtigbeständigcharakterfeststandhaftwillensstarkbeleibtdickfülligkorpulentübergewichtigbegabtgutleistungsfähigleistungsstarktüchtigastreinausgezeichnetexzellenthervorragendgrandiosgroßartigwunderbarsuperklassetoll

Antonyms

schwachschwächlichenergielosgebrechlichkraftlosineffektivineffizientschlechtwirkungslosunwirksamanfälligdünngebrechlichhinfälliginstabilkleineinflussloshilflosmachtloswehrloscharakterschwachdemütigunterwürfigwillensschwachzurückhaltendzurücknehmenddünnschlankschmalgeringkaumwenigdummleistungsschwachschlechtunbegabtungeschicktuntüchtigmangelhaftschlechtblödbilligmiesübel

This word in other languages

powerful(English)fuerte(Español)fort(Français)forte(Português)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as: satrk,sstark,stakr,starkk,starrk,strak,sttark,tsark

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of stark - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

satrk2sstark1stakr2starkk1starrk1strak2sttark1tsark2
Edit distance from "stark"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "stark"?
"stark" is spelled S-T-A-R-K. The IPA pronunciation is [ʃtaʁk].
What does "stark" mean?
As an adjective, "stark" means: mit Kraft ausgestattet, von Kraft geprägt, zeugend
What words are commonly confused with "stark"?
"stark" is commonly confused with "STK", "Stau", "stay". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "stark"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "stark" is [ʃtaʁk]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "stark" come from?
"stark" is a German word. PlainSpell covers definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “stark”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is S-T-A-R-K - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [ʃtaʁk] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “STK” - see the side-by-side comparison. stark vs STK
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list