Which to use
“idly” is an adverb and “ills” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #31,612
- “idly” frequency rank
- #28,587
- “ills” frequency rank
- 60199
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | idly | ills |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Without specific purpose, intent or effort. | plural of ill |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set idly and ills apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: idly is /ˈaɪd(ə)lɪ/ while ills is /ɪlz/. 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 (adverb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60199, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
idly is recorded at frequency rank #31,612, classified as anadv, pronounced /ˈaɪd(ə)lɪ/. 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 60199, this pair ranks #101,641 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of idly vs ills
Shared letters: il. Private to "idly": dy. Private to "ills": s.
"idly" · 4 letters · shape VCCV · "ills" · 4 letters · shape VCCC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "idly" and "ills" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "idly" or "ills"?
Remembering idly vs ills
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “idly”; for a noun, it's “ills”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “idly” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable