Which to use
“ersten” and “ersteren” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #160
- “ersten” frequency rank
- #37,503
- “ersteren” frequency rank
- 37663
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ersten | ersteren |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erste | Genitiv Singular Maskulinum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs erstere |
Where the eye mixes ersten and ersteren
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. ersten runs 6 letters (VCCCVC) against ersteren's 8 (VCCCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ersten vs ersteren
A purely visual mix-up. ersten ([ˈeːɐ̯stn̩]) and ersteren ([ˈeːɐ̯stəʁən]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37663, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ersten is recorded at frequency rank #160, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stn̩]. ersteren is at rank #37,503, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stəʁən].
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 37663, this pair ranks #1,584,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ersten vs ersteren
Shared letters: enrst. Private to "ersten": -. Private to "ersteren": -.
"ersten" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "ersteren" · 8 letters · shape VCCCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ersten" and "ersteren" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ersten" or "ersteren"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ersten" and "ersteren" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ersten" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ersteren" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,584,287 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ersten" and "ersteren" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "erstarren vs ersteren". 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 #1,584,287 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.