iivsionWhich spelling fits?

Quick tell: ii is a verb, ion is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“ii” is a verb and “ion” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#968
“ii” frequency rank
#22,745
“ion” frequency rank
23713
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ii ion
Definition Primera persona del singular del perfecto activo de indicativo de eō. Partícula cargada eléctricamente constituida por un átomo o molécula que no es eléctricamente neutro.

Where the eye mixes ii and ion

Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.

2 ch
ii
3 ch
ion

Why the eye confuses ii with ion

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ii is /ˈji/ while ion is [ˈjõn]. 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 (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 23713, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ii is recorded at frequency rank #968, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈji/. ion is at rank #22,745, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈjõn].

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 23713, this pair ranks #244,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ii vs ion

Shared letters: i. Private to "ii": -. Private to "ion": no.

"ii" · 2 letters · shape VV  ·  "ion" · 3 letters · shape VVC

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ii" and "ion" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "ii" is a verb and "ion" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Frequency check: "ii" vs "ion" - which ranks higher?
"ii" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #968 in our Spanish list, against #22,745 for "ion". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Useful next steps

Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ii" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ion" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #244,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ii" and "ion" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ion vs iza". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #244,491 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list