Which to use
“Ers” is a noun and “erste” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,708
- “Ers” frequency rank
- #250
- “erste” frequency rank
- 22958
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Ers | erste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Plural des Substantivs Er | (zeitlich oder örtlich oder in einer anderen Reihenfolge) an vorderster Stelle sich befindend, dem zweiten vorangehend |
Where the eye mixes Ers and erste
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Ers is [eːɐ̯s] while erste is [ˈeːɐ̯stə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “Ers” sits inside “erste”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs num), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22958, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Ers is recorded at frequency rank #22,708, classified as anoun, pronounced [eːɐ̯s]. erste is at rank #250, tagged as anum, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stə].
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 22958, this pair ranks #1,867,530 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Ers vs erste
Shared letters: ers. Private to "Ers": -. Private to "erste": t.
"Ers" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "erste" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- erste ← errste · erset · ersste · erstte · ertse · esrte
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "Ers" and "erste" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "Ers" or "erste"?
What to do next
You've compared "Ers" and "erste". Here's where to go from here.
- Full dictionary entry for "Ers" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erste" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,867,530 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Ers" and "erste" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Ers vs Esra". 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
PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.