Which to use
“ion” and “IRM” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #14,064
- “ion” frequency rank
- #17,979
- “IRM” frequency rank
- 32043
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ion | IRM |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Atome ou molécule ayant perdu ou gagné des électrons sur sa couche externe. | Technique d’imagerie médicale permettant l’analyse fine du corps humain par l’action d’un champ magnétique et d’ondes radio. |
Where the eye mixes ion and IRM
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ion with IRM
A purely visual mix-up. ion (\jɔ̃\) and IRM (\i.ɛ.ʁɛm\) 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 32043, 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\. IRM is at rank #17,979, tagged as anoun, pronounced \i.ɛ.ʁɛm\.
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 32043, this pair ranks #299,915 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ion vs IRM
Shared letters: i. Private to "ion": no. Private to "IRM": mr.
"ion" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "IRM" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ion" and "IRM" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ion" or "IRM"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "ion" and "IRM" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "ion" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "IRM" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #299,915 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ion" and "IRM" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "IRM vs isi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #299,915 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.