Which to use
“ils” is a pronoun and “isi” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #54
- “ils” frequency rank
- #49,170
- “isi” frequency rank
- 49224
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ils | isi |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pronom clitique de la troisième personne du pluriel sujet, quand on parle d’un groupe d’hommes et de femmes ou de choses grammaticalement masculines et féminines. | Deuxième personne du singulier du futur de l’indicatif du verbe isal/isañ. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ils and isi 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: ils is \il\ while isi is \ˈisːi\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (pronoun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49224, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ils is recorded at frequency rank #54, classified as apron, pronounced \il\. isi is at rank #49,170, tagged as averb, pronounced \ˈisːi\.
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 49224, this pair ranks #172,400 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ils vs isi
Shared letters: is. Private to "ils": l. Private to "isi": -.
"ils" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "isi" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ils" and "isi" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ils" or "isi"?
Remembering ils vs isi
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a pronoun, it's “ils”; for a verb, it's “isi”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ils” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable