ionvsisiConfusable pair

Which to use

“ion” and “isi” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#22,745
“ion” frequency rank
#39,822
“isi” frequency rank
62567
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ion isi
Definition Partícula cargada eléctricamente constituida por un átomo o molécula que no es eléctricamente neutro. El extranjero, tierra o país de donde uno no es.

Where the eye mixes ion and isi

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

3 ch
ion
3 ch
isi

Look-alike desk: ion vs isi

A purely visual mix-up. ion ([ˈjõn]) and isi (/ì.sí/) 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 62567, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ion is recorded at frequency rank #22,745, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈjõn]. isi is at rank #39,822, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ì.sí/.

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 62567, this pair ranks #51,589 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of ion vs isi

Shared letters: i. Private to "ion": no. Private to "isi": s.

"ion" · 3 letters · shape VVC  ·  "isi" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ion" and "isi" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈjõn] versus /ì.sí/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ion" or "isi"?
"ion" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,745 in our Spanish list, against #39,822 for "isi". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

Eye-level mix-up between "ion" and "isi" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.

  • Full dictionary entry for "ion" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "isi" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #51,589 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "ion" and "isi" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "isi vs iza". Nearby pair

Confusion rank #51,589 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