Which to use
“isi” and “iss” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #49,170
- “isi” frequency rank
- #22,303
- “iss” frequency rank
- 71473
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | isi | iss |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du singulier du futur de l’indicatif du verbe isal/isañ. | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de essen. |
Where the eye mixes isi and iss
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. isi (VCV) and iss (VCC) run the same length but a different consonant-vowel pattern - the shape difference is usually the fastest tell.
Visual trap between isi and iss
A purely visual mix-up. isi (\ˈisːi\) and iss (\ɪs\) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by a single letter - i in “isi” becomes s in “iss”. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 71473, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
isi is recorded at frequency rank #49,170, classified as averb, pronounced \ˈisːi\. 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 71473, this pair ranks #47,444 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of isi vs iss
Shared letters: is. Private to "isi": -. Private to "iss": -.
"isi" · 3 letters · shape VCV · "iss" · 3 letters · shape VCC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "isi" for "iss" ever safe?
Which is more common, "isi" or "iss"?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "isi" and "iss" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "isi" 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 #47,444 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "isi" and "iss" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "ime vs isi". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #47,444 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.