Which to use
“ir” is a verb and “ire” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #14,065
- “ir” frequency rank
- #23,590
- “ire” frequency rank
- 37655
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ir | ire |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Aller, se déplacer jusqu'à un endroit. | Colère. |
Where the eye mixes ir and ire
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses ir with ire
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ir is \iɾ\ while ire is \iʁ\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “ir” sits inside “ire”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 37655, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ir is recorded at frequency rank #14,065, classified as averb, pronounced \iɾ\. 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 37655, this pair ranks #260,923 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of ir vs ire
Shared letters: ir. Private to "ir": -. Private to "ire": e.
"ir" · 2 letters · shape VC · "ire" · 3 letters · shape VCV
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "ir" and "ire" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "ir" vs "ire" - 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 "ir" 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 #260,923 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "ir" and "ire" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ire vs isi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #260,923 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.