Which to use
“ick” is a pronoun and “ile” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #16,183
- “ick” frequency rank
- #48,983
- “ile” frequency rank
- 65166
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ick | ile |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | unbetontes „ich“ | Haar n |
Letter map: ick vs ile
Shared letters muted; letters that set ick and ile apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.
Grammar separator: ick vs ile
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ick is apronoun and ileanoun. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 65166, 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]. ile is at rank #48,983, tagged as anoun, pronounced […].
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 65166, this pair ranks #616,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ick vs ile
Shared letters: i. Private to "ick": ck. Private to "ile": el.
"ick" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ile" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ick" and "ile" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ick" or "ile"?
After this comparison
Done with this confusable. These links stay specific to "ick" and "ile".
- Full dictionary entry for "ick" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ile" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #616,270 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ick" and "ile" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ile vs puzzles". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #616,270 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.