Which to use
“virtual” is an adjective and “virtue” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #4,202
- “virtual” frequency rank
- #7,872
- “virtue” frequency rank
- 12074
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | virtual | virtue |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | In effect or essence, rather than in fact or reality; also, imitated, simulated. | (uncountable) The idea of all that is good or excellent (in every sense of those terms) in a human being, collectively instantiated by a varying number of human traits known as "the virtues", the enumeration of which vary by the many virtue systems which have developed within different cultures, religions, and historical periods. |
Where the eye mixes virtual and virtue
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses virtual with virtue
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: virtual is /ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəl/ while virtue is /ˈvɜːt͡ʃuː/. 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 (adjective vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 12074, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
virtual is recorded at frequency rank #4,202, classified as anadj, pronounced /ˈvɜːt͡ʃʊəl/. virtue is at rank #7,872, tagged as anoun, pronounced /ˈvɜːt͡ʃuː/.
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 12074, this pair ranks #483,585 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of virtual vs virtue
Shared letters: irtuv. Private to "virtual": al. Private to "virtue": e.
"virtual" · 7 letters · shape CVCCVVC · "virtue" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "virtual" for "virtue" ever safe?
Frequency check: "virtual" vs "virtue" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "virtual" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "virtue" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #483,585 of 530,003 scored English confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "virtual" and "virtue" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "virtue vs virtues". 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 #483,585 of 530,003 scored English pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.