Which to use
“vigil” and “virgin” are a confusable English pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #21,407
- “vigil” frequency rank
- #3,992
- “virgin” frequency rank
- 25399
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vigil | virgin |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | An instance of keeping awake during normal sleeping hours, especially to keep watch or pray. | A person who has never had sexual intercourse, or (uncommonly) an animal that has never mated. |
Where the spellings diverge
Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vigil and virgin apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.
Spelling & Dictionary Insight
A purely visual mix-up. vigil (/ˈvɪd͡ʒəl/) and virgin (/ˈvɜːd͡ʒɪn/) 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 25399, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vigil is recorded at frequency rank #21,407, classified as anoun, pronounced /ˈvɪd͡ʒəl/. virgin is at rank #3,992, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈvɜːd͡ʒɪn/.
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 25399, this pair ranks #394,558 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vigil vs virgin
Shared letters: giv. Private to "vigil": l. Private to "virgin": nr.
"vigil" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC · "virgin" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequency comparison
Frequently Asked Questions
Can "vigil" and "virgin" be used interchangeably?
Which is more common, "vigil" or "virgin"?
Remembering vigil vs virgin
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 “vigil” entry
- Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable