Which to use
“ies” is a noun and “ir” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #25,358
- “ies” frequency rank
- #14,065
- “ir” frequency rank
- 39423
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ies | ir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de ie. | Aller, se déplacer jusqu'à un endroit. |
Where the eye mixes ies and ir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ies with ir
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ies is \je\ while ir is \iɾ\. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39423, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ies is recorded at frequency rank #25,358, classified as anoun, pronounced \je\. ir is at rank #14,065, tagged as averb, pronounced \iɾ\.
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 39423, this pair ranks #248,070 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ies vs ir
Shared letters: i. Private to "ies": es. Private to "ir": r.
"ies" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "ir" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ies" and "ir" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ies" or "ir"?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "ies" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #248,070 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ies" and "ir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ies vs isi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #248,070 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.