Which to use
“erste” is a num and “erstens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #250
- “erste” frequency rank
- #4,790
- “erstens” frequency rank
- 5040
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erste | erstens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (zeitlich oder örtlich oder in einer anderen Reihenfolge) an vorderster Stelle sich befindend, dem zweiten vorangehend | an erster Stelle (einer Aufzählung, Gliederung oder Ähnlichem) auch in übertragenem Sinne |
Where the eye mixes erste and erstens
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses erste with erstens
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erste is [ˈeːɐ̯stə] while erstens is [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “erste” sits inside “erstens”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 5040, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erste is recorded at frequency rank #250, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stə]. erstens is at rank #4,790, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩s].
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 5040, this pair ranks #1,995,949 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erste vs erstens
Shared letters: erst. Private to "erste": -. Private to "erstens": n.
"erste" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV · "erstens" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "erste" and "erstens" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "erste" or "erstens" show up more?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "erste" and "erstens" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erste" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erstens" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,995,949 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erste" and "erstens" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Erle vs erste". 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 #1,995,949 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.