Which to use
“idem” is an adverb and “IRM” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #6,513
- “idem” frequency rank
- #17,979
- “IRM” frequency rank
- 24492
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | idem | IRM |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | De même, pareillement. On l’emploie pour éviter de répéter ce qui vient d’être dit ou écrit. | Technique d’imagerie médicale permettant l’analyse fine du corps humain par l’action d’un champ magnétique et d’ondes radio. |
Where the eye mixes idem and IRM
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses idem with IRM
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: idem is \i.dɛm\ while IRM is \i.ɛ.ʁɛm\. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24492, 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\. IRM is at rank #17,979, tagged as anoun, pronounced \i.ɛ.ʁɛm\.
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 24492, this pair ranks #346,326 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of idem vs IRM
Shared letters: im. Private to "idem": de. Private to "IRM": r.
"idem" · 4 letters · shape VCVC · "IRM" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Known mistypes of this pair
- idem ← diem · iddem · idemm · idme · iedm
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "idem" for "IRM" ever safe?
Which is more common, "idem" or "IRM"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "idem" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "IRM" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #346,326 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "idem" and "IRM" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "IRM vs isi". 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 #346,326 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.