Which to use
“IJ” is a name and “ilk” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #46,535
- “IJ” frequency rank
- #32,443
- “ilk” frequency rank
- 78978
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | IJ | ilk |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A lake (formerly a bay) adjoining the city of Amsterdam, Netherlands. | Very; same. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set IJ and ilk apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter 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: IJ is /eɪ/ while ilk is /ɪlk/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 78978, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
IJ is recorded at frequency rank #46,535, classified as aname, pronounced /eɪ/. ilk is at rank #32,443, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ɪlk/.
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 78978, this pair ranks #23,254 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of IJ vs ilk
Shared letters: i. Private to "IJ": j. Private to "ilk": kl.
"IJ" · 2 letters · shape VC · "ilk" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "IJ" and "ilk" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "IJ" or "ilk"?
Remembering IJ vs ilk
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a name, it's “IJ”; for an adjective, it's “ilk”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “IJ” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable