iravsIrisConfusable pair

Which to use

“ira” and “Iris” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#18,290
“ira” frequency rank
#7,773
“Iris” frequency rank
26063
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ira Iris
Definition der Zorn, die Wut (Plural: Iris oder [selten] Iriden, Irides): Regenbogenhaut

Where the eye mixes ira and Iris

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.

3 ch
ira
4 ch
Iris

Look-alike desk: ira vs Iris

A purely visual mix-up. ira ([ˈiːra]) and Iris ([ˈiːʁɪs]) 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 26063, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ira is recorded at frequency rank #18,290, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈiːra]. Iris is at rank #7,773, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈiːʁɪs].

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 26063, this pair ranks #1,823,735 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of ira vs Iris

Shared letters: ir. Private to "ira": a. Private to "Iris": s.

"ira" · 3 letters · shape VCV  ·  "Iris" · 4 letters · shape VCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Irisiirs · iriss · irris · irsi · riis

Frequently Asked Questions

Is swapping "ira" for "Iris" ever safe?
No. They are said differently ([ˈiːra] versus [ˈiːʁɪs]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
In ordinary German text, does "ira" or "Iris" show up more?
"Iris" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,773 in our German list, against #18,290 for "ira". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

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 "ira" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "Iris" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #1,823,735 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ira" and "Iris" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "IMs vs ira". 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 #1,823,735 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list