Which to use
“vacilar” and “vigilar” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #38,440
- “vacilar” frequency rank
- #8,739
- “vigilar” frequency rank
- 47179
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vacilar | vigilar |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Moverse con inseguridad, sin paso firme o de modo indeterminado. | Seguir intencionadamente el comportamiento de alguien o algo. |
Where the eye mixes vacilar and vigilar
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 5 letters in sequence. vacilar and vigilar follow the identical consonant-vowel pattern (CVCVCVC). Same shape at a glance is often the real trap, independent of shared letters.
Visual trap between vacilar and vigilar
A purely visual mix-up. vacilar ([basiˈlaɾ]) and vigilar ([bixiˈlaɾ]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 47179, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vacilar is recorded at frequency rank #38,440, classified as averb, pronounced [basiˈlaɾ]. vigilar is at rank #8,739, tagged as averb, pronounced [bixiˈlaɾ].
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 47179, this pair ranks #121,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vacilar vs vigilar
Shared letters: ailrv. Private to "vacilar": c. Private to "vigilar": g.
"vacilar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "vigilar" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vacilar" for "vigilar" ever safe?
Which is more common, "vacilar" or "vigilar"?
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 "vacilar" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vigilar" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #121,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vacilar" and "vigilar" 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 #121,504 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.