Which to use
“veil” and “vigil” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #11,994
- “veil” frequency rank
- #21,407
- “vigil” frequency rank
- 33401
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | veil | vigil |
|---|---|---|
| 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. | An instance of keeping awake during normal sleeping hours, especially to keep watch or pray. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set veil and vigil apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. veil (/veɪl/) and vigil (/ˈvɪd͡ʒəl/) 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 33401, 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/. vigil is at rank #21,407, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈvɪd͡ʒəl/.
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 33401, this pair ranks #329,753 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of veil vs vigil
Shared letters: ilv. Private to "veil": e. Private to "vigil": g.
"veil" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "vigil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "veil" and "vigil" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "veil" or "vigil"?
Remembering veil vs vigil
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 “veil” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable