Which to use
“ernster” and “erstem” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #17,282
- “ernster” frequency rank
- #18,228
- “erstem” frequency rank
- 35510
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernster | erstem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs ernst | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erste |
Where the eye mixes ernster and erstem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ernster with erstem
A purely visual mix-up. ernster ([ˈɛʁnstɐ]) and erstem ([ˈeːɐ̯stəm]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35510, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ernster is recorded at frequency rank #17,282, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛʁnstɐ]. erstem is at rank #18,228, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stəm].
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 35510, this pair ranks #1,638,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ernster vs erstem
Shared letters: erst. Private to "ernster": n. Private to "erstem": m.
"ernster" · 7 letters · shape VCCCCVC · "erstem" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ernster" for "erstem" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ernster" vs "erstem" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ernster" and "erstem" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ernster" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erstem" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,638,286 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernster" and "erstem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Easter vs erstem". 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 #1,638,286 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.