Which to use
“ill” is an adjective and “ist” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #43,059
- “ill” frequency rank
- #41,994
- “ist” frequency rank
- 85053
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ill | ist |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Enfermo. | Tercera persona del singular (er, sie, es) del presente de indicativo de sein. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ill and ist apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ill is /ɪl/ while ist is /ɪst/. 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 verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 85053, 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/. ist is at rank #41,994, tagged as averb, pronounced /ɪst/.
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 85053, this pair ranks #6,462 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ill vs ist
Shared letters: i. Private to "ill": l. Private to "ist": st.
"ill" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ist" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ill" and "ist" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ill" or "ist"?
Remembering ill vs ist
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “ill”; for a verb, it's “ist”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ill” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable