# ere

> English word · Adverb · IPA /ɛə/ · frequency rank #24,153

## Definitions
1. At an earlier time.

## Etymology
From Middle English er, from Old English ǣr (adverb, conjunction, and preposition), from Proto-West Germanic *airi, from Proto-Germanic *airiz, comparative of Proto-Germanic *airi (“early”), from Proto-Indo-European *h₂éyeri (“day, morning”) (compare Avestan 𐬀𐬫𐬀𐬭 (ayar, “day”), Gk. ἠέριος (ēérios, “at daybreak”), see also era, Albanian herët (“early in the morning, at daybreak”) ). The adverb erstwhile retains the Old English superlative ǣrest (“earliest”). Cognate with Saterland Frisian eer (“before”), Dutch eer (“before, sooner than”), German ehe (“before”).

## Easily confused with
- **ex** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-ex)
- **et** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-et)
- **EU** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-eu)
- **ES** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-es)
- **EV** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-ev)
- **ew** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-ew)
- **ey** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-ey)
- **ez** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-ez)
- **eye** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-eye)
- **eve** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-eve)
- **est** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-est)
- **EVA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-eva)
- **err** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-err)
- **eta** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-eta)
- **ESA** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-esa)
- **erm** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-erm)
- **eth** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-eth)
- **evo** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-evo)
- **ERS** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-ers)
- **ESL** (https://plainspell.com/en/vs/ere-vs-esl)

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