Which to use
“ios” and “ire” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #8,870
- “ios” frequency rank
- #23,590
- “ire” frequency rank
- 32460
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ios | ire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de io. | Colère. |
Where the eye mixes ios and ire
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ios with ire
A purely visual mix-up. ios (\jo\) and ire (\iʁ\) 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 32460, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ios is recorded at frequency rank #8,870, classified as anoun, pronounced \jo\. ire is at rank #23,590, tagged as anoun, pronounced \iʁ\.
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 32460, this pair ranks #297,139 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ios vs ire
Shared letters: i. Private to "ios": os. Private to "ire": er.
"ios" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "ire" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ios" and "ire" be used interchangeably?
Frequency check: "ios" vs "ire" - which ranks higher?
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 "ios" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "ire" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #297,139 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ios" and "ire" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ire vs isi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #297,139 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.