vas

/ˈvæs/

//ˈvæs// noun

"vas" is a 3-letter English headword indexed on PlainSpell.

The verdict

“vas” sits in 20 confusable pairs (corpus #28,419) as a noun. The look-alike neighbours are the real trap.

#28,419
frequency rank, English
969
“V” headwords
20
confusable pairs

According to Wiktionary data (CC BY-SA, analyzed September 3, 2026) - A vessel or duct transporting any bodily fluid, such as blood, lymph, chyle, or semen.

Corpus desk

Index EN-vas · vas · English

vas · rank #28,419 · 0 variants · 20 confusables

  • FREQ-MID #28,419
  • LEN-MID 3 letters
  • VOW-1 1 vowel
  • CONFUS-HIGH 20 pairs
  • VAR-0 0 variants
  • BOOK-MID 969
  • PHOTO-FINISH veer

Nearest frequency peer: veer (+1 rank slots)

Read with this headword: Spelling guide for this pattern

Desk codes from Wiktionary headword shape, FrequencyWords rank tier, confusable-pair count, generated misspelling depth, letter-cohort book size, and photo-finish peer. Not a difficulty grade.

Frequency neighbours of confusable “vas”

Peers at similar corpus weight, separate from look-alike pairs below

corpus weight

What this shows Bars place “vas” against nearest ranked English headwords, not a reprint of the confusable-pair desk.

Source FrequencyWords open word-frequency list As of September 3, 2026

Visual similarity to commonly confused words

How many letter changes separate each confused pair (Levenshtein distance, normalized).

vas vs vi
33% similar
vas vs VR
0% similar
vas vs VP
0% similar

Source: PlainSpell confusable corpus (Wiktionary, CC BY-SA).

Key facts for vas
PropertyValue
Headwordvas
LanguageEnglish
Part of speechNoun
IPA/ˈvæs/
Letters3
Frequency rank#28,419
Misspellings tracked0
Confusable pairs20
SourceWiktionary (kaikki.org)

Corpus rank beside confusables of “vas”

Word frequency stretches from the small set of words we reach for constantly (left) out to the long tail barely used once in a while (right).vaslands here:

#1#100#1K#10K#100K
← used constantlyrarely used →

Ticks step logarithmically, so each one marks a roughly tenfold drop in how often the word turns up. Same rarity band neighbours include “veer” (#28,420), “Versace” (#28,421), “uterine” (#28,415). Among 969 “V” headwords, “vas” is #28,419. Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list.

Easy to mix with look-alikes

The spelling risk for vas is neighbouring look-alikes ("vi", "VR", …), not just typos; it is anoun pronounced /ˈvæs/. Frequency #28,419 among 969 “V” headwords. 2 recorded senses keep meaning in play.

Our edit-distance generator produced no likely misspellings for vas, a straightforward case of a spelling with little room for common typos. It also participates in 20 confusable-pair relationships, "vi", "VR", "VP", and more, since the words sound or look close enough that writers reach for the wrong one mid-sentence.

Etymologically, the entry records: Borrowed from Latin vās (“vessel”) around 1645 through 1655. Doublet of vase. The correct English form is vas, spelled V-A-S.

Definition

  1. 1
    A vessel or duct transporting any bodily fluid, such as blood, lymph, chyle, or semen.
  2. 2
    Ellipsis of vas deferens.

Recorded use

Wiktionary example

These source excerpts show how vas appears in context. They illustrate usage; the definition above remains the entry’s reference meaning.

  1. The vesiculæ are bound down, or fixed, by the vesical fascia. They are about two inches long, and, at the broadest part, which is the middle, they are from five to seven-eighths of an inch broad. They are close by the outside of the vasa, and their extremities are two inches and a half distant, for they divaricate. At the gland they approach, but have the…

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin vās (“vessel”) around 1645 through 1655. Doublet of vase.

Definitions, pronunciation, and etymology for this entry are drawn from Wiktionary via the kaikki.org structured extract (CC BY-SA); frequency ordering uses the FrequencyWords open word-frequency list (2018 English corpus, MIT). See the methodology for how each field is sourced and updated.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you spell "vas"?
"vas" is spelled V-A-S. The IPA pronunciation is /ˈvæs/.
What does "vas" mean?
As a noun, "vas" means: A vessel or duct transporting any bodily fluid, such as blood, lymph, chyle, or semen.
What words are commonly confused with "vas"?
"vas" is commonly confused with "vi", "VR", "VP". These words look or sound similar but have different meanings. PlainSpell provides detailed comparisons for each pair.
How do you pronounce "vas"?
The IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) transcription for "vas" is /ˈvæs/. Click the speaker icon on the pronunciation badge above to hear it spoken aloud where audio is available.
What is the origin of the word "vas"?
Borrowed from Latin vās (“vessel”) around 1645 through 1655. Doublet of vase. See the full etymology section above for more details.
Is PlainSpell free to use?
Yes, PlainSpell is a completely free word reference. You can look up definitions, pronunciations, confusable pairs, homophones, and spelling corrections across 5 languages without any sign-up or subscription.

Similar English words by spelling shape

Same letter count and similar misspelling depth for "vas", not the corpus desk frequency band.

Same letter count

Frequency-ranked English headwords with 3 letters (nearest by frequency rank).

Source: Wiktionary (via kaikki.org) Structured Wiktionary extract

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list