Which to use
“erntet” is a verb and “erstem” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,992
- “erntet” frequency rank
- #18,228
- “erstem” frequency rank
- 44220
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erntet | erstem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs ernten | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erste |
Where the eye mixes erntet and erstem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses erntet with erstem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erntet is [ˈɛʁntət] while erstem is [ˈeːɐ̯stəm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 44220, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erntet is recorded at frequency rank #25,992, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈɛʁntət]. 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 44220, this pair ranks #1,393,141 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of erntet vs erstem
Shared letters: ert. Private to "erntet": n. Private to "erstem": ms.
"erntet" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "erstem" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erntet" and "erstem" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erntet" or "erstem"?
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 "erntet" 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 #1,393,141 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erntet" and "erstem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erntet vs erntete". 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 #1,393,141 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.