Which to use
“ices” and “ides” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #48,810
- “ices” frequency rank
- #44,856
- “ides” frequency rank
- 93666
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ices | ides |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of ice | The notional full-moon day of a Roman month, occurring on the 15th day of the four original 31-day months (March, May, Quintilis or July, and October) and on the 13th day of all other months. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ices and ides apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. ices (/ˈaɪsɪz/) and ides (/aɪdz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - c in “ices” becomes d in “ides”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 93666, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ices is recorded at frequency rank #48,810, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈaɪsɪz/. ides is at rank #44,856, tagged as anoun, pronounced /aɪdz/.
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 93666, this pair ranks #1,750 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ices vs ides
Shared letters: eis. Private to "ices": c. Private to "ides": d.
"ices" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "ides" · 4 letters · shape VCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ices" and "ides" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ices" or "ides"?
Remembering ices vs ides
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ices” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable