viervsvilaWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vier is a num, vila is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vier” is a num and “vila” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#328
“vier” frequency rank
#48,600
“vila” frequency rank
48928
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vier vila
Definition die Kardinalzahl zwischen drei und fünf das Dorf, die Ortschaft, der Marktflecken

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
vier
4 ch
vila

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vier is [fiːɐ̯] while vila is [ˈbiɫə]. 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 (num vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 48928, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vier is recorded at frequency rank #328, classified as anum, pronounced [fiːɐ̯]. vila is at rank #48,600, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbiɫə].

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 48928, this pair ranks #1,230,373 of 2,006,359 scored German confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vier vs vila

Shared letters: iv. Private to "vier": er. Private to "vila": al.

"vier" · 4 letters · shape CVVC  ·  "vila" · 4 letters · shape CVCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vieriver · veir · vierr · vire · vvier
  • vilaivla · vial · vlia · vvila

Frequency comparison

vier#328
vila#48,600

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vier" and "vila" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vier" is a num and "vila" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vier" or "vila"?
"vier" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #328 in our German list, against #48,600 for "vila". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering vier vs vila

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a num, it's “vier”; for a noun, it's “vila”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vier” 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