Which to use
“is” is a verb and “Ists” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #478
- “is” frequency rank
- #14,331
- “Ists” frequency rank
- 14809
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | is | Ists |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | [1] umgangssprachlich, dialektal, norddeutsch: 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens des Verbs sein | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Ist |
Where the eye mixes is and Ists
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between is and Ists
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: is is [ɪs] while Ists is [ɪst͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “is” sits inside “Ists”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14809, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
is is recorded at frequency rank #478, classified as averb, pronounced [ɪs]. Ists is at rank #14,331, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ɪst͡s].
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 14809, this pair ranks #1,948,576 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of is vs Ists
Shared letters: is. Private to "is": -. Private to "Ists": t.
"is" · 2 letters · shape VC · "Ists" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Ists ← issts · istss · istts · itss · sits
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "is" and "Ists" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "is" or "Ists"?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "is" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "Ists" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,948,576 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "is" and "Ists" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "IMs vs Ists". 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 #1,948,576 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.