Which to use
“erster” and “erstere” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #761
- “erster” frequency rank
- #21,592
- “erstere” frequency rank
- 22353
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erster | erstere |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Maskulinum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erste | von zweien oder mehreren zuerst genannt |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erster and erstere apart are highlighted. They share 6 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. erster ([ˈeːɐ̯stɐ]) and erstere ([ˈeːɐ̯stəʁə]) 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 1 extra letter(s) - “erster” sits inside “erstere”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 22353, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erster is recorded at frequency rank #761, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stɐ]. erstere is at rank #21,592, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stəʁə].
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 22353, this pair ranks #1,875,208 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erster vs erstere
Shared letters: erst. Private to "erster": -. Private to "erstere": -.
"erster" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "erstere" · 7 letters · shape VCCCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erster" and "erstere" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erster" or "erstere"?
Remembering erster vs erstere
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “erster” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable