vadovsvalsWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“vado” and “vals” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#40,589
“vado” frequency rank
#22,539
“vals” frequency rank
63128
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vado vals
Definition Sitio firme, parejo y de poca profundidad, por donde se puede cruzar un río. Baile de pareja, de origen alemán, que se ejecuta con movimiento giratorio y de traslación, colocando el hombre su mano derecha en la cintura de la mujer y su izquierda en la mano derecha de ella.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vado and vals apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
vado
4 ch
vals

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vado ([ˈbað̞o]) and vals ([ˈbals]) 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 63128, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vado is recorded at frequency rank #40,589, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbað̞o]. vals is at rank #22,539, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbals].

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 63128, this pair ranks #49,753 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of vado vs vals

Shared letters: av. Private to "vado": do. Private to "vals": ls.

"vado" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "vals" · 4 letters · shape CVCC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vadoavdo · bado · vaddo · vaod · vdao · vvado
  • valsavls · valss · vasl · vvals

Frequency comparison

vado#40,589
vals#22,539

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vado" and "vals" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbað̞o] versus [ˈbals]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vado" or "vals"?
"vals" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #22,539 in our Spanish list, against #40,589 for "vado". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vado vs vals

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vado” entry
  • Browse more pairs most likely to be confused. Most confusable

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

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list FrequencyWords open word-frequency list