Which to use
“ernsten” is an adjective and “ernten” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,281
- “ernsten” frequency rank
- #12,066
- “ernten” frequency rank
- 29347
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernsten | ernten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ernst | Nutzpflanzen von den Feldern einholen |
Where the eye mixes ernsten and ernten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ernsten runs 7 letters (VCCCCVC) against ernten's 6 (VCCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between ernsten and ernten
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ernsten is [ˈɛʁnstn̩] while ernten is [ˈɛʁntn̩]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 29347, 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]. ernten is at rank #12,066, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈɛʁntn̩].
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 29347, this pair ranks #1,768,471 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ernsten vs ernten
Shared letters: enrt. Private to "ernsten": s. Private to "ernten": -.
"ernsten" · 7 letters · shape VCCCCVC · "ernten" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ernsten" and "ernten" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ernsten" vs "ernten" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "ernsten" and "ernten" 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 "ernten" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,768,471 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernsten" and "ernten" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ernten vs Exoten". 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 #1,768,471 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.