Which to use
“ides” and “ills” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #44,856
- “ides” frequency rank
- #28,587
- “ills” frequency rank
- 73443
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ides | ills |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | 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. | plural of ill |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ides and ills apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. ides (/aɪdz/) and ills (/ɪlz/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 73443, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ides is recorded at frequency rank #44,856, classified as anoun, pronounced /aɪdz/. ills is at rank #28,587, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɪlz/.
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 73443, this pair ranks #39,608 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ides vs ills
Shared letters: is. Private to "ides": de. Private to "ills": l.
"ides" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "ills" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ides" and "ills" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ides" or "ills"?
Remembering ides vs ills
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 “ides” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable