Which to use
“ersten” is an adjective and “erstens” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #160
- “ersten” frequency rank
- #4,790
- “erstens” frequency rank
- 4950
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ersten | erstens |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv 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 ersten and erstens
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ersten with erstens
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ersten is [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩] while erstens is [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ersten” sits inside “erstens”, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs adverb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4950, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ersten is recorded at frequency rank #160, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩]. 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 4950, this pair ranks #1,996,211 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ersten vs erstens
Shared letters: enrst. Private to "ersten": -. Private to "erstens": -.
"ersten" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "erstens" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ersten" for "erstens" ever safe?
Which is more common, "ersten" or "erstens"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ersten" 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 #1,996,211 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ersten" and "erstens" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ersten vs Exoten". 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 #1,996,211 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.