Which to use
“iss” is a verb and “Ists” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,551
- “iss” frequency rank
- #14,331
- “Ists” frequency rank
- 20882
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | iss | Ists |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Imperativ des Verbs essen | Genitiv Singular des Substantivs Ist |
Where the eye mixes iss and Ists
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses iss with Ists
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: iss is [ɪs] while Ists is [ɪst͡s]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 20882, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
iss is recorded at frequency rank #6,551, 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 20882, this pair ranks #1,892,664 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of iss vs Ists
Shared letters: is. Private to "iss": -. Private to "Ists": t.
"iss" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "Ists" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- Ists ← issts · istss · istts · itss · sits
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "iss" and "Ists" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary German text, does "iss" or "Ists" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "iss" 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 #1,892,664 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "iss" 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 #1,892,664 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.