idesvsindexWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“ides” and “index” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#42,389
“ides” frequency rank
#6,203
“index” frequency rank
48592
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature ides index
Definition Le quinzième jour des mois de mars, de mai, de juillet et d’octobre dans le calendrier des anciens Romains, et le treizième des autres mois. 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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ides and index apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
ides
5 ch
index

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. ides (\id\) 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 48592, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

ides is recorded at frequency rank #42,389, classified as anoun, pronounced \id\. 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 48592, this pair ranks #177,673 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of ides vs index

Shared letters: dei. Private to "ides": s. Private to "index": nx.

"ides" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "index" · 5 letters · shape VCCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • idesiddes · idess · ieds
  • indexidnex · inddex · indexx · indxe · inedx · inndex · nidex

Frequency comparison

ides#42,389
index#6,203

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "ides" and "index" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\id\ versus \ɛ̃.dɛks\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "ides" or "index"?
"index" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #6,203 in our French list, against #42,389 for "ides". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering ides vs index

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ides” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list