IlsevsireWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: Ilse is a name, ire is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“Ilse” is a name and “ire” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#14,836
“Ilse” frequency rank
#23,189
“ire” frequency rank
38025
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Ilse ire
Definition weiblicher Vorname (heftiger) Zorn

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Ilse and ire apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Ilse
3 ch
ire

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Ilse is [ˈɪlzə] while ire is [ˈʌɪə]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 38025, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Ilse is recorded at frequency rank #14,836, classified as aname, pronounced [ˈɪlzə]. ire is at rank #23,189, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈʌɪə].

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 38025, this pair ranks #1,574,814 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of Ilse vs ire

Shared letters: ei. Private to "Ilse": ls. Private to "ire": r.

"Ilse" · 4 letters · shape VCCV  ·  "ire" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Ilseillse · ilsse

Frequency comparison

Ilse#14,836
ire#23,189

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Ilse" and "ire" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "Ilse" is a name and "ire" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "Ilse" or "ire"?
"Ilse" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #14,836 in our German list, against #23,189 for "ire". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Ilse vs ire

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “Ilse”; for a noun, it's “ire”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Ilse” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list