Which to use
“veto” is a noun and “vex” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #12,165
- “veto” frequency rank
- #35,148
- “vex” frequency rank
- 47313
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | veto | vex |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | A political right to disapprove of (and thereby stop) the process of a decision, a law etc. | To annoy, irritate. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set veto 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: veto is /ˈviːtəʊ/ 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 47313, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
veto is recorded at frequency rank #12,165, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈviːtəʊ/. 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 47313, this pair ranks #203,599 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of veto vs vex
Shared letters: ev. Private to "veto": ot. Private to "vex": x.
"veto" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "vex" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- veto ← evto · veot · vetto · vteo · vveto
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "veto" and "vex" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "veto" or "vex"?
Remembering veto vs vex
The fastest way to pick the right one every time.
- Check the role first: if you need a noun, it's “veto”; for a verb, it's “vex”.
- See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “veto” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable