Which to use
“erst” is an adverb and “erste” is a num - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #159
- “erst” frequency rank
- #250
- “erste” frequency rank
- 409
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erst | erste |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zuvor, vorher | (zeitlich oder örtlich oder in einer anderen Reihenfolge) an vorderster Stelle sich befindend, dem zweiten vorangehend |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erst and erste apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
erst and erste form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “erst” sits inside “erste” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erst is recorded at frequency rank #159, classified as anadv, pronounced [eːɐ̯st]. 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 409, this pair ranks #2,005,897 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erst" and "erste" be used interchangeably?
Remembering erst vs erste
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “erst”; for a num, it's “erste”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erst” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable