ImamvsiraWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“Imam” and “ira” are a confusable Portuguese pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#42,047
“Imam” frequency rank
#5,314
“ira” frequency rank
47361
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature Imam ira
Definition imã cólera

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set Imam and ira apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
Imam
3 ch
ira

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. Imam (/iˈmaːm/) and ira (/ˈi.ɾɐ/) 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 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47361, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

Imam is recorded at frequency rank #42,047, classified as anoun, pronounced /iˈmaːm/. ira is at rank #5,314, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈi.ɾɐ/.

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 47361, this pair ranks #17,894 of 75,631 scored Portuguese confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of Imam vs ira

Shared letters: ai. Private to "Imam": m. Private to "ira": r.

"Imam" · 4 letters · shape VCVC  ·  "ira" · 3 letters · shape VCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • Imamiamm · imamm · imma · immam · miam

Frequency comparison

Imam#42,047
ira#5,314

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "Imam" and "ira" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (/iˈmaːm/ versus /ˈi.ɾɐ/) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "Imam" or "ira"?
"ira" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #5,314 in our Portuguese list, against #42,047 for "Imam". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering Imam vs ira

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “Imam” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list