Which to use
“erste” is a num and “ersten” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #250
- “erste” frequency rank
- #160
- “ersten” frequency rank
- 410
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erste | ersten |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (zeitlich oder örtlich oder in einer anderen Reihenfolge) an vorderster Stelle sich befindend, dem zweiten vorangehend | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erste |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erste and ersten apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
erste and ersten 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) - “erste” sits inside “ersten” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 410, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erste is recorded at frequency rank #250, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stə]. ersten is at rank #160, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩].
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 410, this pair ranks #2,005,895 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erste" and "ersten" be used interchangeably?
Remembering erste vs ersten
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “erste”; for an adjective, it's “ersten”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erste” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable