Which to use
“il” is a noun and “ite” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,175
- “il” frequency rank
- #46,021
- “ite” frequency rank
- 53196
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | il | ite |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Año. | Comido; participio pasado de ith. |
Where the eye mixes il and ite
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses il with ite
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: il is [ˈil] while ite is [ˈɪtʲɪ]. 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 (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 53196, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
il is recorded at frequency rank #7,175, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈil]. ite is at rank #46,021, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈɪtʲɪ].
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 53196, this pair ranks #89,061 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of il vs ite
Shared letters: i. Private to "il": l. Private to "ite": et.
"il" · 2 letters · shape VC · "ite" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "il" for "ite" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "il" or "ite" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "il" and "ite" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "il" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ite" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #89,061 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "il" and "ite" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ite vs iza". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #89,061 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.