Which to use
“erste” is a num and “erstes” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #250
- “erste” frequency rank
- #1,510
- “erstes” frequency rank
- 1760
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erste | erstes |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (zeitlich oder örtlich oder in einer anderen Reihenfolge) an vorderster Stelle sich befindend, dem zweiten vorangehend | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erste |
Where the eye mixes erste and erstes
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 erstes is [ˈeːɐ̯stəs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “erste” sits inside “erstes”, and the parts of speech differ too (num vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1760, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erste is recorded at frequency rank #250, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stə]. erstes is at rank #1,510, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stəs].
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 1760, this pair ranks #2,003,789 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erste vs erstes
Shared letters: erst. Private to "erste": -. Private to "erstes": -.
"erste" · 5 letters · shape VCCCV · "erstes" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC