Which to use
“ill” and “ite” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #43,059
- “ill” frequency rank
- #46,021
- “ite” frequency rank
- 89080
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ill | ite |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Enfermo. | Comido; participio pasado de ith. |
Where the eye mixes ill and ite
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. ill (VCC) and ite (VCV) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses ill with ite
A purely visual mix-up. ill (/ɪl/) and ite ([ˈɪtʲɪ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 89080, 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/. 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 89080, this pair ranks #3,364 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ill vs ite
Shared letters: i. Private to "ill": l. Private to "ite": et.
"ill" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ite" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ill" and "ite" mean the same thing in a sentence?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "ill" or "ite" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "ill" and "ite" 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 "ite" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #3,364 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ill" and "ite" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ite vs iza". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #3,364 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.