Which to use
“idole” and “isle” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,359
- “idole” frequency rank
- #41,260
- “isle” frequency rank
- 86619
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | idole | isle |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Abgott, Abgöttin, Götze, Götzenbild, Idol | die Insel oder kleine Insel |
Where the eye mixes idole and isle
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. idole runs 5 letters (VCVCV) against isle's 4 (VCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: idole vs isle
A purely visual mix-up. idole ([i.dɔl]) and isle ([aɪl]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 86619, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
idole is recorded at frequency rank #45,359, classified as anoun, pronounced [i.dɔl]. isle is at rank #41,260, tagged as anoun, pronounced [aɪl].
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 86619, this pair ranks #91,224 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of idole vs isle
Shared letters: eil. Private to "idole": do. Private to "isle": s.
"idole" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "isle" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "idole" and "isle" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "idole" or "isle"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "idole" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "isle" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #91,224 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "idole" and "isle" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "idole vs ile". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #91,224 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.