Which to use
“ernsthaft” and “ernsthaftes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #2,590
- “ernsthaft” frequency rank
- #32,510
- “ernsthaftes” frequency rank
- 35100
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernsthaft | ernsthaftes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | nicht heiter | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ernsthaft |
Where the eye mixes ernsthaft and ernsthaftes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 9 letters in sequence. ernsthaft runs 9 letters (VCCCCCVCC) against ernsthaftes's 11 (VCCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ernsthaft vs ernsthaftes
A purely visual mix-up. ernsthaft ([ˈɛʁnsthaft]) and ernsthaftes ([ˈɛʁnsthaftəs]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “ernsthaft” sits inside “ernsthaftes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35100, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ernsthaft is recorded at frequency rank #2,590, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛʁnsthaft]. ernsthaftes is at rank #32,510, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛʁnsthaftəs].
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 35100, this pair ranks #1,648,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ernsthaft vs ernsthaftes
Shared letters: aefhnrst. Private to "ernsthaft": -. Private to "ernsthaftes": -.
"ernsthaft" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCCVCC · "ernsthaftes" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ernsthaft ← enrsthaft · ernnsthaft · ernshtaft · ernssthaft · ernstahft · ernsthafft · ernsthaftt · ernsthatf
- ernsthaftes ← enrsthaftes · ernnsthaftes · ernshtaftes · ernssthaftes · ernstahftes · ernsthafets · ernsthafftes · ernsthaftess
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ernsthaft" for "ernsthaftes" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ernsthaft" or "ernsthaftes"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ernsthaft" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ernsthaftes" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,648,090 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernsthaft" and "ernsthaftes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ernsthafter vs ernsthaftes". 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 #1,648,090 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.