Which to use
“is” is a verb and “ISBN” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #478
- “is” frequency rank
- #6,075
- “ISBN” frequency rank
- 6553
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | is | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | [1] umgangssprachlich, dialektal, norddeutsch: 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens des Verbs sein | 10- oder 13-stellige Nummer zur eindeutigen Kennzeichnung von Büchern, die seit 1973 jedes Buch erhält |
Where the eye mixes is and ISBN
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: is vs ISBN
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: is is [ɪs] while ISBN is [iːʔɛsbeːˈʔɛn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “is” sits inside “ISBN”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 6553, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
is is recorded at frequency rank #478, classified as averb, pronounced [ɪs]. ISBN is at rank #6,075, tagged as anoun, pronounced [iːʔɛsbeːˈʔɛn].
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 6553, this pair ranks #1,991,247 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of is vs ISBN
Shared letters: is. Private to "is": -. Private to "ISBN": bn.
"is" · 2 letters · shape VC · "ISBN" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- ISBN ← ibsn · isbbn · isbnn · isnb · issbn · sibn
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "is" for "ISBN" ever safe?
Frequency check: "is" vs "ISBN" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "is" and "ISBN" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "is" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ISBN" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,991,247 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "is" and "ISBN" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "IMs vs is". 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 #1,991,247 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.