Which to use
“Ernst” is a noun and “erste” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #531
- “Ernst” frequency rank
- #250
- “erste” frequency rank
- 781
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ernst | erste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | scherzlose, überlegte und entschiedene Gesinnung; sachlich, aufrichtige Haltung | (zeitlich oder örtlich oder in einer anderen Reihenfolge) an vorderster Stelle sich befindend, dem zweiten vorangehend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Ernst and erste apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Ernst and erste form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 3 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 781, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ernst is recorded at frequency rank #531, classified as anoun, pronounced [ɛʁnst]. erste is at rank #250, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stə].
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 781, this pair ranks #2,005,344 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ernst" and "erste" be used interchangeably?
Remembering Ernst vs erste
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “Ernst”; for a num, it's “erste”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Ernst” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable