Which to use
“is” and “isst” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #478
- “is” frequency rank
- #4,128
- “isst” frequency rank
- 4606
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | is | isst |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | [1] umgangssprachlich, dialektal, norddeutsch: 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens des Verbs sein | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs essen |
Where the eye mixes is and isst
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: is vs isst
A purely visual mix-up. is ([ɪs]) and isst ([ɪst]) 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 2 extra letter(s) - “is” sits inside “isst”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4606, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
is is recorded at frequency rank #478, classified as averb, pronounced [ɪs]. isst is at rank #4,128, tagged as averb, pronounced [ɪst].
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 4606, this pair ranks #1,997,221 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of is vs isst
Shared letters: is. Private to "is": -. Private to "isst": t.
"is" · 2 letters · shape VC · "isst" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- isst ← isstt · ißt · sist
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "is" and "isst" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "is" or "isst" show up more?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "is" and "isst" 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 "isst" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,997,221 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "is" and "isst" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "IMs vs isst". 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 #1,997,221 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.