Which to use
“ile” is a noun and “ill” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #48,983
- “ile” frequency rank
- #25,175
- “ill” frequency rank
- 74158
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ile | ill |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Haar n | schlecht, falsch |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ile and ill apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ile is anoun and illanadverb. On the page they differ by a single letter - e in “ile” becomes l in “ill”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 74158, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ile is recorded at frequency rank #48,983, classified as anoun, pronounced […]. ill is at rank #25,175, tagged as anadv, pronounced [ɪl].
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 74158, this pair ranks #340,891 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ile vs ill
Shared letters: il. Private to "ile": e. Private to "ill": -.
"ile" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ill" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ile" and "ill" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ile" or "ill"?
Remembering ile vs ill
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “ile”; for an adverb, it's “ill”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ile” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable