Which to use
“irony” and “ivory” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,805
- “irony” frequency rank
- #8,949
- “ivory” frequency rank
- 17754
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | irony | ivory |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | The quality of a statement that, when taken in context, may actually mean something different from, or the opposite of, what is written literally; the use of words expressing something other than their literal intention, often in a humorous context. | The hard white form of dentin which forms the tusks of elephants, walruses and other animals. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set irony and ivory apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. irony (/ˈaɪə.ɹən.i/) and ivory (/ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/) 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 17754, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
irony is recorded at frequency rank #8,805, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈaɪə.ɹən.i/. ivory is at rank #8,949, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈaɪv(ə)ɹi/.
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 17754, this pair ranks #449,377 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of irony vs ivory
Shared letters: iory. Private to "irony": n. Private to "ivory": v.
"irony" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV · "ivory" · 5 letters · shape VCVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "irony" and "ivory" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "irony" or "ivory"?
Remembering irony vs ivory
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “irony” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable