Which to use
“van” is a noun and “vos” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #1,615
- “van” frequency rank
- #39,125
- “vos” frequency rank
- 40740
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | van | vos |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | geschlossener Kraftwagen mittlerer Größe mit Fenstern rundum oder nur vorn | Eure, Ihre |
Where the eye mixes van and vos
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Visual trap between van and vos
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: van is [væn] while vos is [vo]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 40740, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
van is recorded at frequency rank #1,615, classified as anoun, pronounced [væn]. vos is at rank #39,125, tagged as anadj, pronounced [vo].
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 40740, this pair ranks #1,499,727 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of van vs vos
Shared letters: v. Private to "van": an. Private to "vos": os.
"van" · 3 letters · shape CVC · "vos" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "van" for "vos" ever safe?
Which is more common, "van" or "vos"?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "van" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vos" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #1,499,727 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "van" and "vos" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "voip vs vos". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #1,499,727 of 2,006,359 scored German pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.