Which to use
“erste” is a num and “Ester” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #250
- “erste” frequency rank
- #35,172
- “Ester” frequency rank
- 35422
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erste | Ester |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | (zeitlich oder örtlich oder in einer anderen Reihenfolge) an vorderster Stelle sich befindend, dem zweiten vorangehend | Reaktionsprodukt einer Veresterung; Verknüpfung eines Alkohols mit einer Säure |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erste and Ester apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
erste and Ester form a confusable pair in the German index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They are an anagram pair: the same letters reordered - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 35422, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erste is recorded at frequency rank #250, classified as anum, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stə]. Ester is at rank #35,172, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈɛstɐ].
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 35422, this pair ranks #1,640,389 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erste" and "Ester" be used interchangeably?
Remembering erste vs Ester
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “erste”; for a noun, it's “Ester”.
- 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