Which to use
“vaciar” and “vacilar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #22,894
- “vaciar” frequency rank
- #38,440
- “vacilar” frequency rank
- 61334
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vaciar | vacilar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Retirar el interior o contenido de algo. | Moverse con inseguridad, sin paso firme o de modo indeterminado. |
Where the eye mixes vaciar and vacilar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 6 letters in sequence. vaciar runs 6 letters (CVCVVC) against vacilar's 7 (CVCVCVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vaciar with vacilar
A purely visual mix-up. vaciar ([baˈsjaɾ]) and vacilar ([basiˈlaɾ]) 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 61334, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vaciar is recorded at frequency rank #22,894, classified as averb, pronounced [baˈsjaɾ]. vacilar is at rank #38,440, tagged as averb, pronounced [basiˈlaɾ].
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 61334, this pair ranks #55,817 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.
Orthographic DNA of vaciar vs vacilar
Shared letters: acirv. Private to "vaciar": -. Private to "vacilar": l.
"vaciar" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC · "vacilar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vaciar" and "vacilar" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Frequency check: "vaciar" vs "vacilar" - which ranks higher?
After this comparison
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vaciar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vacilar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #55,817 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vaciar" and "vacilar" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vacila vs vacilar". 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 #55,817 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.