Which to use
“ernsthafte” and “ernsthaftes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,226
- “ernsthafte” frequency rank
- #32,510
- “ernsthaftes” frequency rank
- 43736
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernsthafte | ernsthaftes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Femininum Positiv der starken Flexion des Adjektivs ernsthaft | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ernsthaft |
Where the eye mixes ernsthafte and ernsthaftes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. ernsthafte runs 10 letters (VCCCCCVCCV) against ernsthaftes's 11 (VCCCCCVCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between ernsthafte and ernsthaftes
A purely visual mix-up. ernsthafte ([ˈɛʁnsthaftə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “ernsthafte” sits inside “ernsthaftes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 43736, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ernsthafte is recorded at frequency rank #11,226, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛʁnsthaftə]. 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 43736, this pair ranks #1,408,572 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ernsthafte vs ernsthaftes
Shared letters: aefhnrst. Private to "ernsthafte": -. Private to "ernsthaftes": -.
"ernsthafte" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCV · "ernsthaftes" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ernsthafte ← enrsthafte · ernnsthafte · ernshtafte · ernssthafte · ernstahfte · ernsthafet · ernsthaffte · ernsthaftte
- ernsthaftes ← enrsthaftes · ernnsthaftes · ernshtaftes · ernssthaftes · ernstahftes · ernsthafets · ernsthafftes · ernsthaftess
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ernsthafte" for "ernsthaftes" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ernsthafte" or "ernsthaftes"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ernsthafte" 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 #1,408,572 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernsthafte" 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 #1,408,572 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.