Which to use
“ill” is an adjective and “ira” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,059
- “ill” frequency rank
- #3,854
- “ira” frequency rank
- 46913
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ill | ira |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Enfermo. | Enfado o enojo. |
Where the eye mixes ill and ira
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ill with ira
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ill is /ɪl/ while ira is [ˈiɾa]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46913, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ill is recorded at frequency rank #43,059, classified as anadj, pronounced /ɪl/. ira is at rank #3,854, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈiɾa].
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 46913, this pair ranks #123,040 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ill vs ira
Shared letters: i. Private to "ill": l. Private to "ira": ar.
"ill" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ira" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ill" and "ira" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ill" vs "ira" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "ill" and "ira" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ill" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ira" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #123,040 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ill" and "ira" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ill vs iza". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #123,040 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.