Which to use
“veil” is a noun and “vex” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #11,994
- “veil” frequency rank
- #35,148
- “vex” frequency rank
- 47142
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | veil | vex |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Something hung up or spread out to hide or protect the face, or hide an object from view; usually of gauze, crepe, or similar diaphanous material. | To annoy, irritate. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set veil and vex 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: veil is /veɪl/ while vex is /vɛks/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (noun vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47142, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
veil is recorded at frequency rank #11,994, classified as anoun, pronounced /veɪl/. 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 47142, this pair ranks #205,197 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of veil vs vex
Shared letters: ev. Private to "veil": il. Private to "vex": x.
"veil" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "vex" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- veil ← veill · veli · viel · vveil
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "veil" and "vex" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "veil" or "vex"?
Remembering veil vs vex
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “veil”; for a verb, it's “vex”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “veil” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable