Which to use
“ion” and “IQ” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,064
- “ion” frequency rank
- #47,975
- “IQ” frequency rank
- 62039
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ion | IQ |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Atome ou molécule ayant perdu ou gagné des électrons sur sa couche externe. | QI, quotient intellectuel. |
Where the eye mixes ion and IQ
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence. ion runs 3 letters (VVC) against IQ's 2 (VC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: ion vs IQ
A purely visual mix-up. ion (\jɔ̃\) and IQ (\iːˈkuː\) 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 62039, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ion is recorded at frequency rank #14,064, classified as anoun, pronounced \jɔ̃\. IQ is at rank #47,975, tagged as anoun, pronounced \iːˈkuː\.
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 62039, this pair ranks #89,171 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of ion vs IQ
Shared letters: i. Private to "ion": no. Private to "IQ": q.
"ion" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "IQ" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ion" for "IQ" ever safe?
Frequency check: "ion" vs "IQ" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ion" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "IQ" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #89,171 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ion" and "IQ" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "IQ vs isi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #89,171 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.