Which to use
“ios” is a noun and “iss” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #8,870
- “ios” frequency rank
- #22,303
- “iss” frequency rank
- 31173
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ios | iss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Pluriel de io. | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de essen. |
Where the eye mixes ios and iss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Look-alike desk: ios vs iss
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ios is \jo\ while iss is \ɪs\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by a single letter - o in “ios” becomes s in “iss”, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 31173, 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\. 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 31173, this pair ranks #305,516 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ios vs iss
Shared letters: is. Private to "ios": o. Private to "iss": -.
"ios" · 3 letters · shape VVC · "iss" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "ios" for "iss" ever safe?
In ordinary French text, does "ios" or "iss" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "ios" 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 #305,516 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ios" and "iss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "isi vs iss". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #305,516 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.