Which to use
“ek” is a preposition and “es” is a pronoun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #23,492
- “ek” frequency rank
- #13
- “es” frequency rank
- 23505
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ek | es |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | aus einem Gebiet oder Raum heraus/hinaus | ersetzt eine zuvor benutzte Nominalphrase im Neutrum (Person, Tier, Sache oder Abstraktum) |
Where the eye mixes ek and es
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ek vs es
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ek is [ɛk] while es is [ɛs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - k in “ek” becomes s in “es”, and the parts of speech differ too (preposition vs pronoun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23505, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ek is recorded at frequency rank #23,492, classified as aprep, pronounced [ɛk]. es is at rank #13, tagged as apron, pronounced [ɛs].
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 23505, this pair ranks #1,860,431 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ek vs es
Shared letters: e. Private to "ek": k. Private to "es": s.
"ek" · 2 letters · shape VC · "es" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ek" for "es" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ek" or "es"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ek" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "es" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,860,431 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ek" and "es" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ek vs eo". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,860,431 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.