Which to use
“is” is a verb and “Isar” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #478
- “is” frequency rank
- #19,264
- “Isar” frequency rank
- 19742
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | is | Isar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | [1] umgangssprachlich, dialektal, norddeutsch: 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens des Verbs sein | Der zweitgrößte rechte Nebenfluss der oberen Donau; entspringt im Karwendelgebirge, fließt südlich von München in einem tief eingeschnittenen Flussbett, nördlich von München auf der bayrischen Hochfläche, mündet nach 295 km Flusslauf bei Deggendorf in die Donau. |
Where the eye mixes is and Isar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between is and Isar
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: is is [ɪs] while Isar is [ˈiːzaʁ]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “is” sits inside “Isar”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 19742, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
is is recorded at frequency rank #478, classified as averb, pronounced [ɪs]. Isar is at rank #19,264, tagged as aname, pronounced [ˈiːzaʁ].
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 19742, this pair ranks #1,905,085 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of is vs Isar
Shared letters: is. Private to "is": -. Private to "Isar": ar.
"is" · 2 letters · shape VC · "Isar" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Isar ← iasr · isarr · isra · issar · siar
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "is" for "Isar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "is" or "Isar"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "is" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Isar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,905,085 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "is" and "Isar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "IPA vs Isar". 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 #1,905,085 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.