Which to use
“ick” and “ihn” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #16,183
- “ick” frequency rank
- #140
- “ihn” frequency rank
- 16323
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ick | ihn |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unbetontes „ich“ | Personalpronomen 3. Person Maskulinum Singular Akkusativ |
Where the eye mixes ick and ihn
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ick and ihn
A purely visual mix-up. ick ([ɪk]) and ihn ([iːn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 16323, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ick is recorded at frequency rank #16,183, classified as apron, pronounced [ɪk]. ihn is at rank #140, tagged as apron, pronounced [iːn].
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 16323, this pair ranks #1,936,804 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ick vs ihn
Shared letters: i. Private to "ick": ck. Private to "ihn": hn.
"ick" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ihn" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ick" for "ihn" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ick" vs "ihn" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "ick" and "ihn" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ick" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ihn" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,936,804 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ick" and "ihn" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ick vs IMs". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,936,804 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.