# earnest vs Ernest

> English confusable word pair

## The two words

### earnest
*noun · IPA /ˈɝ.nɪst/ · frequency rank #11,884*
Gravity; serious purpose; earnestness.

### Ernest
*name · IPA /ˈɜː(ɹ)nɪst/ · frequency rank #10,846*
A male given name from the Germanic languages; popular in the 19th century.

## Source
Compiled from Wiktionary via kaikki.org (CC BY-SA). Data vintage: 2026-05-06.
Canonical page: https://plainspell.com/en/vs/earnest-vs-ernest