Which to use
“Ernst” and “Ernste” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #531
- “Ernst” frequency rank
- #10,646
- “Ernste” frequency rank
- 11177
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ernst | Ernste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | scherzlose, überlegte und entschiedene Gesinnung; sachlich, aufrichtige Haltung | Variante für den Dativ Singular des Substantivs Ernst |
Where the eye mixes Ernst and Ernste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Ernst vs Ernste
A purely visual mix-up. Ernst ([ɛʁnst]) and Ernste ([ˈɛʁnstə]) 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) - “Ernst” sits inside “Ernste”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11177, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ernst is recorded at frequency rank #531, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛʁnst]. Ernste is at rank #10,646, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛʁnstə].
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 11177, this pair ranks #1,971,279 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ernst vs Ernste
Shared letters: enrst. Private to "Ernst": -. Private to "Ernste": -.
"Ernst" · 5 letters · shape VCCCC · "Ernste" · 6 letters · shape VCCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Ernst" for "Ernste" ever safe?
In ordinary German text, does "Ernst" or "Ernste" show up more?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ernst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ernste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,971,279 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ernst" and "Ernste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erbse vs Ernste". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #1,971,279 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.