Which to use
“idea” and “index” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #32,851
- “idea” frequency rank
- #6,203
- “index” frequency rank
- 39054
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | idea | index |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Idée. | Doigt le plus proche du pouce, parce que c’est celui-là dont on se sert ordinairement pour indiquer, pour montrer quelque chose. |
Where the eye mixes idea and index
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence. idea runs 4 letters (VCVV) against index's 5 (VCCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses idea with index
A purely visual mix-up. idea (\aɪ.ˈdi.ə\) and index (\ɛ̃.dɛks\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39054, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
idea is recorded at frequency rank #32,851, classified as anoun, pronounced \aɪ.ˈdi.ə\. index is at rank #6,203, tagged as anoun, pronounced \ɛ̃.dɛks\.
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 39054, this pair ranks #250,836 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of idea vs index
Shared letters: dei. Private to "idea": a. Private to "index": nx.
"idea" · 4 letters · shape VCVV · "index" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "idea" for "index" ever safe?
Frequency check: "idea" vs "index" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "idea" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "index" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #250,836 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "idea" and "index" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "idea vs ime". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #250,836 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.