Which to use
“erstes” is an adjective and “erwies” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,510
- “erstes” frequency rank
- #9,017
- “erwies” frequency rank
- 10527
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | erstes | erwies |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Nominativ Singular Neutrum der starken Flexion des Positivs des Adjektivs erste | 1. Person Singular Indikativ Präteritum Aktiv des Verbs erweisen |
Where the eye mixes erstes and erwies
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. erstes (VCCCVC) and erwies (VCCVVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses erstes with erwies
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: erstes is [ˈeːɐ̯stəs] while erwies is [ɛɐ̯ˈviːs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 10527, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
erstes is recorded at frequency rank #1,510, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stəs]. erwies is at rank #9,017, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɛɐ̯ˈviːs].
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 10527, this pair ranks #1,974,689 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of erstes vs erwies
Shared letters: ers. Private to "erstes": t. Private to "erwies": iw.
"erstes" · 6 letters · shape VCCCVC · "erwies" · 6 letters · shape VCCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "erstes" and "erwies" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "erstes" or "erwies"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "erstes" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "erwies" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,974,689 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "erstes" and "erwies" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Easter vs erstes". 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 #1,974,689 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.