Which to use
“ice” is a verb and “ike” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,863
- “ice” frequency rank
- #40,873
- “ike” frequency rank
- 55736
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ice | ike |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de subjuntivo de izar. | Malo. |
Where the eye mixes ice and ike
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between ice and ike
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ice is [ˈise] while ike is /ˈɪ.ke/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - c in “ice” becomes k in “ike”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55736, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ice is recorded at frequency rank #14,863, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈise]. ike is at rank #40,873, tagged as anadj, pronounced /ˈɪ.ke/.
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 55736, this pair ranks #77,589 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ice vs ike
Shared letters: ei. Private to "ice": c. Private to "ike": k.
"ice" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "ike" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ice" and "ike" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ice" or "ike"?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ice" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ike" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #77,589 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ice" and "ike" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ike vs iza". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #77,589 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.