Which to use
“ion” and “ire” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #5,604
- “ion” frequency rank
- #21,834
- “ire” frequency rank
- 27438
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ion | ire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An atom or group of atoms bearing an electrical charge, such as the sodium and chlorine atoms in a salt solution. | Iron. |
Where the eye mixes ion and ire
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ion with ire
A purely visual mix-up. ion (/ˈaɪən/) and ire (/aɪ.ɚ/) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 27438, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ion is recorded at frequency rank #5,604, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈaɪən/. 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 27438, this pair ranks #378,904 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ion vs ire
Shared letters: i. Private to "ion": no. Private to "ire": er.
"ion" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "ire" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ion" for "ire" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ion" vs "ire" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "ion" and "ire" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ion" 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 #378,904 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ion" and "ire" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ire vs ith". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #378,904 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.