这两个词都是动词strike的过去分词一般指“打击”，在现代英语中，它们的使用场合有所不同。

Struck用于一般打击、撞击、刺激，如：

They were struck by lightning.

他们遭雷打了。

She was struck with pity for the old man.

她对那老人动了怜悯之心。

Their eyes were struck by the awesome beauty of the landscape.

令人叹为观止的美丽风景把他们慑住了。

I was struck with a wonderful idea.

我忽然间想起了一个很好的主意。

The workers stopped work over wage deduction and the contractors were struck dumb by their strike.

工人为了克扣工资而罢工，而包工们看见他们罢工惊得目瞪口呆。

The students were struck by the determination of their principal.

学生们深为他们校长的决心而感动。

Stricken指受打击，受煎熬，只用于负面场合，较struck富感情色彩，又多用于正式场合;试比较：

The poor are struck most by the ever-increasing housing costs.

穷人受不断上涨的楼房费用打击最大。

The people in the village are stricken with poverty.

村民受尽穷困的折磨。

The village was struck with famine after a drought.

旱灾过后，该村正遭饥荒打击。

Many people in backward countries are stricken with famine and epidemic disease.

在落后国家里，很多人受尽饥荒及瘟疫的煎熬。

以上stricken的用法也常以复合形容词形式出现，放在名词之前，如：poverty-stricken、famine-stricken、drought-stricken、panic-stricken、fever-stricken等等。stricken 也见于某些文学语言中(如stricken in years年迈的;stricken with remorse极为懊悔的)。

有时候，在某些复合词中不用stricken，而用struck，如：awe-struck，thunder-struck，但在某些名词前，却单个用stricken而不用struck，如：a stricken field战场;astricken heart忧伤之心，对于这类词语，我们应当把它们看作固定的词组搭配。