erstmaligvserstmaligeWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“erstmalig” and “erstmalige” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#14,796
“erstmalig” frequency rank
#38,724
“erstmalige” frequency rank
53520
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature erstmalig erstmalige
Definition nicht vorher gewesen; niemals vorher stattgefunden habend Nominativ Singular Femininum der starken Deklination des Positivs des Adjektivs erstmalig

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set erstmalig and erstmalige apart are highlighted. They share 9 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

9 ch
erstmalig
10 ch
erstmalige

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. erstmalig ([ˈeːɐ̯stmaːlɪç]) and erstmalige ([ˈeːɐ̯stmaːlɪɡə]) 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) - “erstmalig” sits inside “erstmalige”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53520, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

erstmalig is recorded at frequency rank #14,796, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stmaːlɪç]. erstmalige is at rank #38,724, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈeːɐ̯stmaːlɪɡə].

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 53520, this pair ranks #1,054,787 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of erstmalig vs erstmalige

Shared letters: aegilmrst. Private to "erstmalig": -. Private to "erstmalige": -.

"erstmalig" · 9 letters · shape VCCCCVCVC  ·  "erstmalige" · 10 letters · shape VCCCCVCVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • erstmaligerrstmalig · ersmtalig · ersstmalig · erstamlig · erstmailg · erstmalgi · erstmaligg · erstmallig
  • erstmaligeerrstmalige · ersmtalige · ersstmalige · erstamlige · erstmailge · erstmalgie · erstmalieg · erstmaligge

Frequency comparison

erstmalig#14,796
erstmalige#38,724

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "erstmalig" and "erstmalige" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈeːɐ̯stmaːlɪç] versus [ˈeːɐ̯stmaːlɪɡə]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "erstmalig" or "erstmalige"?
"erstmalig" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,796 in our German list, against #38,724 for "erstmalige". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering erstmalig vs erstmalige

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 “erstmalig” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list