Which to use
“ia” is a verb and “ilha” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #600
- “ia” frequency rank
- #1,012
- “ilha” frequency rank
- 1612
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | ia | ilha |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | primeira pessoa do singular do pretérito imperfeito do indicativo do verbo ir | porção de terra emersa cercada de água |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set ia and ilha apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: ia is /ˈi.ɐ/ while ilha is /ˈi.ʎɐ/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 1612, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
ia is recorded at frequency rank #600, classified as averb, pronounced /ˈi.ɐ/. ilha is at rank #1,012, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈi.ʎɐ/.
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 1612, this pair ranks #73,921 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of ia vs ilha
Shared letters: ai. Private to "ia": -. Private to "ilha": hl.
"ia" · 2 letters · shape VV · "ilha" · 4 letters · shape VCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- ilha ← ihla · ilah · ilhha · illha · liha
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "ia" and "ilha" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "ia" or "ilha"?
Remembering ia vs ilha
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “ia”; for a noun, it's “ilha”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “ia” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable