Which to use
“iss” is a verb and “issue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #22,303
- “iss” frequency rank
- #1,921
- “issue” frequency rank
- 24224
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | iss | issue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Deuxième personne du singulier de l’impératif présent de essen. | Sortie, lieu par où l’on sort. |
Where the eye mixes iss and issue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses iss with issue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: iss is \ɪs\ while issue is \i.sy\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 extra letter(s) - “iss” sits inside “issue”, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 24224, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
iss is recorded at frequency rank #22,303, classified as averb, pronounced \ɪs\. issue is at rank #1,921, tagged as anoun, pronounced \i.sy\.
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 24224, this pair ranks #347,840 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of iss vs issue
Shared letters: is. Private to "iss": -. Private to "issue": eu.
"iss" · 3 letters · shape VCC · "issue" · 5 letters · shape VCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
- issue ← isseu · isue · isuse · sisue
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "iss" and "issue" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "iss" or "issue"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "iss" and "issue" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "iss" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "issue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #347,840 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "iss" and "issue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "isi vs iss". Nearby pair
- Recorded mistypes exist for at least one side of this pair, useful when a spell-checker or OCR lands on the wrong form. See mistypes
Confusion rank #347,840 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.