Which to use
“ill” is an adverb and “iss” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,175
- “ill” frequency rank
- #6,551
- “iss” frequency rank
- 31726
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ill | iss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | schlecht, falsch | 2. Person Singular Imperativ des Verbs essen |
Where the eye mixes ill and iss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between ill and iss
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ill is [ɪl] while iss is [ɪs]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31726, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ill is recorded at frequency rank #25,175, classified as anadv, pronounced [ɪl]. iss is at rank #6,551, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɪs].
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 31726, this pair ranks #1,722,334 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ill vs iss
Shared letters: i. Private to "ill": l. Private to "iss": s.
"ill" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "iss" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ill" and "iss" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ill" vs "iss" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ill" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "iss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,722,334 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ill" and "iss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ill vs IMs". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,722,334 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.