I'llvsISILWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: I'll is a contraction, ISIL is a name, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“I'll” is a contraction and “ISIL” is a name - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#356
“I'll” frequency rank
#18,597
“ISIL” frequency rank
18953
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature I'll ISIL
Definition I will. Synonym of ISIS.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set I'll and ISIL apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
I'll
4 ch
ISIL

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: I'll is /aɪ̯l/ while ISIL is /ˈaɪsəl/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (contraction vs name), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 18953, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

I'll is recorded at frequency rank #356, classified as acontraction, pronounced /aɪ̯l/. ISIL is at rank #18,597, tagged as aname, pronounced /ˈaɪsəl/.

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 18953, this pair ranks #441,485 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of I'll vs ISIL

Shared letters: il. Private to "I'll": -. Private to "ISIL": s.

"I'll" · 3 letters · shape VCC  ·  "ISIL" · 4 letters · shape VCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • ISILiisl · isill · isli · issil · siil

Frequency comparison

I'll#356
ISIL#18,597

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "I'll" and "ISIL" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "I'll" is a contraction and "ISIL" a name, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "I'll" or "ISIL"?
"I'll" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #356 in our English list, against #18,597 for "ISIL". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering I'll vs ISIL

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a contraction, it's “I'll”; for a name, it's “ISIL”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “I'll” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list