Which to use
“ion” is a noun and “ir” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,064
- “ion” frequency rank
- #14,065
- “ir” frequency rank
- 28129
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ion | ir |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Atome ou molécule ayant perdu ou gagné des électrons sur sa couche externe. | Aller, se déplacer jusqu'à un endroit. |
Where the eye mixes ion and ir
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ion vs ir
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ion is \jɔ̃\ 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 28129, 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\. 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 28129, this pair ranks #324,741 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ion vs ir
Shared letters: i. Private to "ion": no. Private to "ir": r.
"ion" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "ir" · 2 letters · shape VC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ion" and "ir" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "ion" or "ir"?
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 "ir" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #324,741 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ion" and "ir" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ir vs isi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #324,741 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.