Which to use
“va” is a verb and “von” is a preposition - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #98
- “va” frequency rank
- #7,806
- “von” frequency rank
- 7904
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | va | von |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de ir. | De. |
Where the eye mixes va and von
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 1 letter in sequence.
Why the eye confuses va with von
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: va is [ˈba] while von is /fɔn/. 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 (verb vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 7904, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
va is recorded at frequency rank #98, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈba]. von is at rank #7,806, tagged as aprep, pronounced /fɔn/.
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 7904, this pair ranks #306,578 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of va vs von
Shared letters: v. Private to "va": a. Private to "von": no.
"va" · 2 letters · shape CV · "von" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "va" for "von" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "va" or "von" show up more?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "va" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "von" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #306,578 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "va" and "von" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "von vs VOR". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #306,578 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.