Which to use
“Ernst” is a noun and “erst” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #531
- “Ernst” frequency rank
- #159
- “erst” frequency rank
- 690
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ernst | erst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | scherzlose, überlegte und entschiedene Gesinnung; sachlich, aufrichtige Haltung | zuvor, vorher |
Where the eye mixes Ernst and erst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Ernst with erst
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Ernst is [ɛʁnst] while erst is [eːɐ̯st]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 690, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ernst is recorded at frequency rank #531, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛʁnst]. erst is at rank #159, tagged as anadv, pronounced [eːɐ̯st].
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 690, this pair ranks #2,005,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ernst vs erst
Shared letters: erst. Private to "Ernst": n. Private to "erst": -.
"Ernst" · 5 letters · shape VCCCC · "erst" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "Ernst" for "erst" ever safe?
Which is more common, "Ernst" or "erst"?
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 "erst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #2,005,492 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ernst" and "erst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erle vs erst". 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 #2,005,492 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.