Which to use
“ies” is a noun and “ill” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,988
- “ies” frequency rank
- #1,946
- “ill” frequency rank
- 47934
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ies | ill |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of i, the name of the letter I. | Evil; wicked (of people). |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ies and ill apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: ies is anoun and illanadjective. On the page they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47934, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ies is recorded at frequency rank #45,988, classified as anoun. ill is at rank #1,946, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɪl/.
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 47934, this pair ranks #197,808 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ies vs ill
Shared letters: i. Private to "ies": es. Private to "ill": l.
"ies" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "ill" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ies" and "ill" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ies" or "ill"?
Remembering ies vs ill
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “ies”; for an adjective, it's “ill”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ies” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable