Which to use
“Ernst” and “Ers” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #531
- “Ernst” frequency rank
- #22,708
- “Ers” frequency rank
- 23239
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ernst | Ers |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | scherzlose, überlegte und entschiedene Gesinnung; sachlich, aufrichtige Haltung | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Er |
Where the eye mixes Ernst and Ers
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: Ernst vs Ers
A purely visual mix-up. Ernst ([ɛʁnst]) and Ers ([eːɐ̯s]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23239, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ernst is recorded at frequency rank #531, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛʁnst]. Ers is at rank #22,708, tagged as anoun, pronounced [eːɐ̯s].
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 23239, this pair ranks #1,863,900 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ernst vs Ers
Shared letters: ers. Private to "Ernst": nt. Private to "Ers": -.
"Ernst" · 5 letters · shape VCCCC · "Ers" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Ernst ← enrst · ernnst · ernsst · ernstt · ernts · errnst · ersnt · renst
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Ernst" and "Ers" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "Ernst" vs "Ers" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "Ernst" and "Ers" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ernst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ers" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,863,900 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ernst" and "Ers" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ers vs Esra". 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 #1,863,900 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.