Which to use
“ink” is a noun and “iss” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #45,673
- “ink” frequency rank
- #22,303
- “iss” frequency rank
- 67976
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ink | iss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Encre. | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de essen. |
Where the eye mixes ink and iss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ink vs iss
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ink is \ɪŋk\ while iss is \ɪs\. 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 (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 67976, 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\. iss is at rank #22,303, tagged as averb, pronounced \ɪs\.
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 67976, this pair ranks #61,143 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ink vs iss
Shared letters: i. Private to "ink": kn. Private to "iss": s.
"ink" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "iss" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ink" and "iss" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ink" or "iss"?
What to do next
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 "iss" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #61,143 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ink" and "iss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ink vs isi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #61,143 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.