Which to use
“ernsthafter” and “ernsthaftes” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #33,572
- “ernsthafter” frequency rank
- #32,510
- “ernsthaftes” frequency rank
- 66082
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ernsthafter | ernsthaftes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ernsthaft | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs ernsthaft |
Where the eye mixes ernsthafter and ernsthaftes
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 10 letters in sequence. ernsthafter and ernsthaftes follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (VCCCCCVCCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Look-alike desk: ernsthafter vs ernsthaftes
A purely visual mix-up. ernsthafter ([ˈɛʁnsthaftɐ]) 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 a single letter - r in “ernsthafter” becomes s in “ernsthaftes”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 66082, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ernsthafter is recorded at frequency rank #33,572, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈɛʁnsthaftɐ]. 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 66082, this pair ranks #585,201 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ernsthafter vs ernsthaftes
Shared letters: aefhnrst. Private to "ernsthafter": -. Private to "ernsthaftes": -.
"ernsthafter" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVC · "ernsthaftes" · 11 letters · shape VCCCCCVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ernsthafter ← enrsthafter · ernnsthafter · ernshtafter · ernssthafter · ernstahfter · ernsthafetr · ernsthaffter · ernsthafterr
- ernsthaftes ← enrsthaftes · ernnsthaftes · ernshtaftes · ernssthaftes · ernstahftes · ernsthafets · ernsthafftes · ernsthaftess
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ernsthafter" for "ernsthaftes" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ernsthafter" 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 "ernsthafter" 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 #585,201 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ernsthafter" and "ernsthaftes" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ernsthaften vs ernsthafter". 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 #585,201 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.