Which to use
“veer” and “vex” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #28,420
- “veer” frequency rank
- #35,148
- “vex” frequency rank
- 63568
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | veer | vex |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | To let out (a sail-line), to allow (a sheet) to run out. | To annoy, irritate. |
Where the eye mixes veer and vex
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. veer runs 4 letters (CVVC) against vex's 3 (CVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses veer with vex
A purely visual mix-up. veer (/vɪə̯/) and vex (/vɛks/) 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 63568, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
veer is recorded at frequency rank #28,420, classified as averb, pronounced /vɪə̯/. vex is at rank #35,148, tagged as averb, pronounced /vɛks/.
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 63568, this pair ranks #82,252 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of veer vs vex
Shared letters: ev. Private to "veer": r. Private to "vex": x.
"veer" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "vex" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- veer ← veerr · ver · vere · vveer
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "veer" and "vex" be used interchangeably?
In ordinary English text, does "veer" or "vex" show up more?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "veer" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vex" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #82,252 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "veer" and "vex" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vex vs VH". 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 #82,252 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.