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 eye mixes erste and ersten
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erste is [ˈeːɐ̯stə] while ersten is [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “erste” sits inside “ersten”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. 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.
Orthographic DNA of erste vs ersten
Shared letters: erst. Private to "erste": -. Private to "ersten": n.
"erste" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV · "ersten" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC