Which to use
“erst” is an adverb and “erstem” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #159
- “erst” frequency rank
- #18,228
- “erstem” frequency rank
- 18387
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erst | erstem |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | zuvor, vorher | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erste |
Where the eye mixes erst and erstem
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses erst with erstem
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erst is [eːɐ̯st] while erstem is [ˈeːɐ̯stəm]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “erst” sits inside “erstem”, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18387, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erst is recorded at frequency rank #159, classified as anadv, pronounced [eːɐ̯st]. 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 18387, this pair ranks #1,918,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erst vs erstem
Shared letters: erst. Private to "erst": -. Private to "erstem": m.
"erst" · 4 letters · shape VCCC · "erstem" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erst" and "erstem" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "erst" vs "erstem" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erst" 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 #1,918,729 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erst" and "erstem" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Easter vs erstem". 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 #1,918,729 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.