IvsiiWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: I is a symbol, ii is an adverb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“I” is a symbol and “ii” is an adverb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#381
“I” frequency rank
#627
“ii” frequency rank
1008
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature I ii
Definition Symbole chimique de l’iode. Oui.

Letter map: I vs ii

Shared letters muted; letters that set I and ii apart highlighted. Shared run: 1.

1 ch
I
2 ch
ii

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

Our dataset has no pronunciation recorded for both members, so the reliable separator here is grammatical: I is asymbol and iianadverb. On the page they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “I” sits inside “ii”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1008, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

I is recorded at frequency rank #381, classified as asymbol. ii is at rank #627, tagged as anadv, pronounced \iː\.

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 1008, this pair ranks #438,770 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of I vs ii

Shared letters: i. Private to "I": -. Private to "ii": -.

"I" · 1 letters · shape V  ·  "ii" · 2 letters · shape VV

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "I" and "ii" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "I" is a symbol and "ii" an adverb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "I" or "ii"?
"I" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #381 in our French list, against #627 for "ii". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

What to do next

You've compared "I" and "ii". Here's where to go from here.

  • Full dictionary entry for "I" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
  • Full dictionary entry for "ii" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
  • This pair ranks #438,770 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
  • "I" and "ii" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ii vs isi". Nearby pair

PlainSpell is a reference corpus, not spelling advice. Verify unusual forms in context.

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list