Which to use
“idem” is an adverb and “ime” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,513
- “idem” frequency rank
- #49,145
- “ime” frequency rank
- 55658
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | idem | ime |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De même, pareillement. On l’emploie pour éviter de répéter ce qui vient d’être dit ou écrit. | Ma, mon. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set idem and ime apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters 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: idem is \i.dɛm\ while ime is \ˈi.me\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (adverb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 55658, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
idem is recorded at frequency rank #6,513, classified as anadv, pronounced \i.dɛm\. ime is at rank #49,145, tagged as anadj, pronounced \ˈi.me\.
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 55658, this pair ranks #126,071 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of idem vs ime
Shared letters: eim. Private to "idem": d. Private to "ime": -.
"idem" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "ime" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- idem ← diem · iddem · idemm · idme · iedm
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "idem" and "ime" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "idem" or "ime"?
Remembering idem vs ime
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need an adverb, it's “idem”; for an adjective, it's “ime”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “idem” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable