Which to use
“ernsten” is an adjective and “erstens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #17,281
- “ernsten” frequency rank
- #4,790
- “erstens” frequency rank
- 22071
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernsten | erstens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ernst | an erster Stelle (einer Aufzählung, Gliederung oder Ähnlichem) auch in übertragenem Sinne |
Where the eye mixes ernsten and erstens
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ernsten (VCCCCVC) and erstens (VCCCVCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Look-alike desk: ernsten vs erstens
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ernsten is [ˈɛʁnstn̩] while erstens is [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 5 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22071, 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]. erstens is at rank #4,790, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩s].
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 22071, this pair ranks #1,878,703 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ernsten vs erstens
Shared letters: enrst. Private to "ernsten": -. Private to "erstens": -.
"ernsten" · 7 letters · shape VCCCCVC · "erstens" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ernsten" and "erstens" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ernsten" or "erstens"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ernsten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erstens" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,878,703 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernsten" and "erstens" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erbeten vs ernsten". 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 #1,878,703 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.