Which to use
“erstem” is an adjective and “erstens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #18,228
- “erstem” frequency rank
- #4,790
- “erstens” frequency rank
- 23018
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erstem | erstens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Dativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erste | an erster Stelle (einer Aufzählung, Gliederung oder Ähnlichem) auch in übertragenem Sinne |
Where the eye mixes erstem and erstens
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: erstem vs erstens
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erstem is [ˈeːɐ̯stəm] while erstens is [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23018, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erstem is recorded at frequency rank #18,228, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stəm]. 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 23018, this pair ranks #1,866,799 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erstem vs erstens
Shared letters: erst. Private to "erstem": m. Private to "erstens": n.
"erstem" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "erstens" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erstem" and "erstens" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erstem" or "erstens"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "erstem" and "erstens" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "erstem" 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 #1,866,799 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erstem" and "erstens" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Easter vs erstem". 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 #1,866,799 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.