Which to use
“ink” and “ion” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #45,673
- “ink” frequency rank
- #14,064
- “ion” frequency rank
- 59737
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ink | ion |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Encre. | Atome ou molécule ayant perdu ou gagné des électrons sur sa couche externe. |
Where the eye mixes ink and ion
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. ink (VCC) and ion (VVC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Why the eye confuses ink with ion
A purely visual mix-up. ink (\ɪŋk\) and ion (\jɔ̃\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 59737, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ink is recorded at frequency rank #45,673, classified as anoun, pronounced \ɪŋk\. ion is at rank #14,064, tagged as anoun, pronounced \jɔ̃\.
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 59737, this pair ranks #101,457 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ink vs ion
Shared letters: in. Private to "ink": k. Private to "ion": o.
"ink" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "ion" · 3 letters · shape VVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ink" and "ion" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ink" or "ion"?
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 "ink" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ion" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #101,457 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ink" and "ion" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ink vs isi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #101,457 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.