iesvsinnConfusable pair

Which to use

“ies” and “inn” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#45,988
“ies” frequency rank
#6,369
“inn” frequency rank
52357
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ies inn
Definition plural of i, the name of the letter I. Any establishment where travellers can procure lodging, food, and drink.

Letter map: ies vs inn

Shared letters muted; letters that set ies and inn apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.

3 ch
ies
3 ch
inn

Corpus notes: ies and inn

ies and inn are indexed as a confusable English pair. We have no recorded pronunciation or part of speech for both members, so the spelling overlap is what we can show you: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52357, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ies is recorded at frequency rank #45,988, classified as anoun. inn is at rank #6,369, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ɪn/.

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 52357, this pair ranks #157,745 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ies vs inn

Shared letters: i. Private to "ies": es. Private to "inn": n.

"ies" · 3 letters · shape VVC  ·  "inn" · 3 letters · shape VCC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ies" and "inn" be used interchangeably?
No. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, but the dictionary glosses above give them different meanings, so swapping one for the other changes what the sentence says.
Frequency check: "ies" vs "inn" - which ranks higher?
"inn" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,369 in our English list, against #45,988 for "ies". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Useful next steps

Pair "ies" vs "inn" is on the table, pick a follow-up below.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ies" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "inn" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #157,745 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ies" and "inn" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ies vs ith". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #157,745 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list