Which to use
“ies” and “ire” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,988
- “ies” frequency rank
- #21,834
- “ire” frequency rank
- 67822
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ies | ire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | plural of i, the name of the letter I. | Iron. |
Letter map: ies vs ire
Shared letters muted; letters that set ies and ire apart highlighted. Shared run: 2. ies (VVC) and ire (VCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Pair insight - ies / ire
ies and ire 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 67822, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ies is recorded at frequency rank #45,988, classified as anoun. ire is at rank #21,834, tagged as anoun, pronounced /aɪ.ɚ/.
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 67822, this pair ranks #61,596 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ies vs ire
Shared letters: ei. Private to "ies": s. Private to "ire": r.
"ies" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "ire" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ies" for "ire" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ies" vs "ire" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pair "ies" vs "ire" 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 "ire" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #61,596 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ies" and "ire" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ies vs ith". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #61,596 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.