Which to use
“ernsten” is an adjective and “Ernstes” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,281
- “ernsten” frequency rank
- #10,647
- “Ernstes” frequency rank
- 27928
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernsten | Ernstes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ernst | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Ernst |
Where the eye mixes ernsten and Ernstes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ernsten with Ernstes
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ernsten is [ˈɛʁnstn̩] while Ernstes is [ˈɛʁnstəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - n in “ernsten” becomes s in “Ernstes”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ernsten is recorded at frequency rank #17,281, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛʁnstn̩]. Ernstes is at rank #10,647, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛʁnstəs].
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 27928, this pair ranks #1,793,524 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ernsten vs Ernstes
Shared letters: enrst. Private to "ernsten": -. Private to "Ernstes": -.
"ernsten" · 7 letters · shape VCCCCVC · "Ernstes" · 7 letters · shape VCCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ernsten" for "Ernstes" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ernsten" vs "Ernstes" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "ernsten" and "Ernstes" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ernsten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ernstes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,793,524 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernsten" and "Ernstes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erneutes vs Ernstes". 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 #1,793,524 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.