Which to use
“isst” and “ist” are a confusable German pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #4,128
- “isst” frequency rank
- #7
- “ist” frequency rank
- 4135
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | isst | ist |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 2. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens Aktiv des Verbs essen | 3. Person Singular Indikativ Präsens des Verbs sein |
Same sound, different letters: isst vs ist
Muted letters are shared; highlighted letters are the only spelling cue when pronunciation matches. Shared run: 3 letters.
Ear matches; page differs - isst and ist
This is the hard kind. isst and ist are pronounced identically ([ɪst]) and both work as averb. Neither the ear nor the grammar will rescue you; only the meaning does, so the glosses below are the whole decision. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4135, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
isst is recorded at frequency rank #4,128, classified as averb, pronounced [ɪst]. ist is at rank #7, 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 4135, this pair ranks #1,998,484 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of isst vs ist
Shared letters: ist. Private to "isst": -. Private to "ist": -.
"isst" · 4 letters · shape VCCC · "ist" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- isst ← isstt · ißt · sist
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "isst" and "ist" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "isst" vs "ist" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Sound matches; spelling doesn't. Use the exits below to lock the right form or check a cousin pair.
- Full dictionary entry for "isst" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ist" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,998,484 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "isst" and "ist" 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 #1,998,484 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.