ernsthaft

[ˈɛʁnsthaft]

/[ˈɛʁnsthaft]/ adj

By · According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA) ·

The verdict

“ernsthaft” has 15 generated spelling variants in the German index at frequency #2,590. The variants make it a useful spelling check.

#2,590
frequency rank, German
4,632
“E” headwords
15
tracked misspellings
5
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - nicht heiter

Corpus desk

Index DE-ernsthaft · ernsthaft · German

ernsthaft · rank #2,590 · 15 variants · 5 confusables

  • FREQ-COMMON #2,590
  • LEN-LONG 9 letters
  • VOW-2 2 vowels
  • CONFUS-MID 5 pairs
  • VAR-HIGH 15 variants
  • BOOK-MID 4,632
  • PHOTO-FINISH erfolgen

Nearest frequency peer: erfolgen (-1 rank slots)

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Rang-Peers am Tippfehler-Magneten „ernsthaft“

Gleiche Seltenheitsbandbreite: nützlich, wenn ein Tippfehler auf ein Peer-Lemma trifft

corpus weight

What this shows „ernsthaft“ sitzt unter diesen FrequencyWords-Peers; die Tippfehlertiefe steht separat im Edit-Distance-Chart.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

ernsthaft vs ernsthafte
90% similar
ernsthaft vs ernsthaften
82% similar
ernsthaft vs ernsthaftes
82% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for ernsthaft
PropertyValue
Headwordernsthaft
LanguageGerman
Part of speechAdjective
IPA[ˈɛʁnsthaft]
Letters9
Frequency rank#2,590
Misspellings tracked15
Confusable pairs5
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Häufigkeitslage von Tippfehler-Magnet „ernsthaft“

Von links nach rechts: die wenigen Träger des Alltags, dann der lange Schwanz kaum gebrauchter Formen.ernsthaftliegt hier neben dem Tippfehler-Druck:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Die Achse ist logarithmisch: jeder Tick markiert etwa zehnfach geringere Häufigkeit. Peers derselben Seltenheitsbandbreite: „erfolgen“ (#2,589), „erschien“ (#2,591), „elf“ (#2,588). Unter 4,632 „E“-Lemmata liegt „ernsthaft“ bei #2,590. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

A misspelling magnet

The generator records 15 spelling variants around ernsthaft (IPA [ˈɛʁnsthaft]), anadjective. Corpus frequency is #2,590 among 4,632 “E” headwords. Wiktionary lists 4 senses, so context still picks the gloss.

Our generated misspelling index lists 15 likely wrong-spelling variants for ernsthaft, with forms such as "enrsthaft", "ernnsthaft", and "ernshtaft". Each variant is a distinct typo pattern an edit-distance generator flags, typically a doubled-consonant error, a silent-letter drop, or a vowel substitution. It also participates in 5 confusable-pair relationships, "ernsthafte", "ernsthaften", "ernsthaftes", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so its spelling is easiest explained by how it's pronounced rather than where it came from. The correct German form is ernsthaft, spelled E-R-N-S-T-H-A-F-T.

Definition

  1. 1
    nicht heiter
  2. 2
    eindringlich, gewichtig
  3. 3
    aufrichtig, tatsächlich
  4. 4
    gefährlich, schlimm

Recorded use

Wiktionary examples

These source excerpts show how ernsthaft appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. Mit ernsthafter Miene begann er seine Rede.
  2. Er scheint ernsthaft bemüht zu sein.

Antonyms

fröhlichgutgelauntheiterkaumweniggeringfügig

This word in other languages

serious(English)serio(Español)sérieux(Français)

Common misspellings

Also misspelled as:

  • enrsthaft
  • ernnsthaft
  • ernshtaft
  • ernssthaft
  • ernstahft
  • ernsthafft
  • ernsthaftt
  • ernsthatf
  • ernsthfat
  • ernsthhaft
  • ernstthaft
  • erntshaft
  • errnsthaft
  • ersnthaft
  • rensthaft

Misspelling Pattern Breakdown

How far each generated variant is from the correct spelling of ernsthaft - expressed in single-character edits (insert, delete, or swap one letter). Bigger bars stand out at a glance; a one-edit slip is the hardest to catch.

enrsthaft2ernnsthaft1ernshtaft2ernssthaft1ernstahft2ernsthafft1ernsthaftt1ernsthatf2
Edit distance from "ernsthaft"

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "ernsthaft"?
"ernsthaft" is spelled E-R-N-S-T-H-A-F-T. The IPA pronunciation is [ˈɛʁnsthaft].
What does "ernsthaft" mean?
As an adjective, "ernsthaft" means: nicht heiter
What words are commonly confused with "ernsthaft"?
"ernsthaft" is commonly confused with "ernsthafte", "ernsthaften", "ernsthaftes". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "ernsthaft"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "ernsthaft" is [ˈɛʁnsthaft]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "ernsthaft" come from?
"ernsthaft" is a German word. PlainSpell's reference spans five languages -- English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German -- with definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for each.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar German words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "ernsthaft", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked German headwords with 9 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Einwohner#2,587Frühstück#2,593betroffen#2,584angesehen#2,578

Similar misspelling depth

Headwords with a similar count of attested misspellings (15 here; floor ≥5).

beobachten15 variantsSchicksal15 variantsverurteilt15 variantsdiskutiert15 variants

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list