IB

[aɪ̯ˈbiː]

/[aɪ̯ˈbiː]/ noun

The verdict

“IB” is a moderately-common German word, ranked #13,398 in German word frequency and used as a noun.

#13,398
frequency rank, German
2
letters
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed May 6, 2026) - indischer Inlandsgeheimdienst

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

IB vs im
0% similar
IB vs is
0% similar
IB vs ii
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for IB
PropertyValue
HeadwordIB
LanguageGerman
Part of speechNoun
IPA[aɪ̯ˈbiː]
Letters2
Frequency rank#13,398
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Where “IB” sits in German frequency

Every-word frequency runs from the handful of words we use constantly (left) to the long tail used once in a blue moon (right). IB lands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Scale is logarithmic (each tick is 10× rarer). Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

The German entry for IB is 2 letters long, classified as a noun, and transcribed in the International Phonetic Alphabet as [aɪ̯ˈbiː]. Corpus data places it at rank #13,398 in overall German word frequency, marking it as uncommon enough that many writers pause before typing it. The dominant gloss from Wiktionary reads: "indischer Inlandsgeheimdienst".

No misspelling variants are generated for IB in our index, which points to an orthography that plays by predictable German rules. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "im", "is", "ii", and more, where similar look or sound leads writers to substitute one word for another in context.

No documented word history exists for this headword, so spelling patterns must be inferred from the word's phoneme-to-grapheme mapping rather than from a documented borrowing chain. The correct German form is IB, spelled I-B.

Definition

  1. 1
    indischer Inlandsgeheimdienst

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 German corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "IB"?
"IB" is spelled I-B. The IPA pronunciation is [aɪ̯ˈbiː].
What does "IB" mean?
As a noun, "IB" means: indischer Inlandsgeheimdienst
What words are commonly confused with "IB"?
"IB" is commonly confused with "im", "is", "ii". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "IB"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "IB" is [aɪ̯ˈbiː]. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What language does "IB" come from?
"IB" is a German word. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, and spelling data for this and other words across English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and German on PlainSpell.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Using “IB”

The practical upshot for anyone who landed here from a spell-check.

  • The one correct German spelling is I-B - every other letter order is a misspelling in standard orthography.
  • Say it as [aɪ̯ˈbiː] (IPA); tap the speaker on the pronunciation badge to hear it where audio exists.
  • Don't mix it up with “im” - see the side-by-side comparison. IB vs im
  • Browse more German words and confusable pairs in the same reference. German words
Data Source

Wiktionary (via kaikki.org), licensed under CC BY-SA & GFDL. Word ordering uses an open word-frequency list; misspelling variants are generated by edit-distance from the correct headword.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list