vagavsvaiWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vaga is a adjective, vai is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vaga” is an adjective and “vai” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#13,582
“vaga” frequency rank
#39,008
“vai” frequency rank
52590
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vaga vai
Definition Forma del femenino singular de vago. Tercera persona del singular (el, ela, vostede) del presente de indicativo de ir.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
vaga
3 ch
vai

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vaga is [ˈbaɣ̞a] while vai is [ˈba̠j]. 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 (adjective vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 52590, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vaga is recorded at frequency rank #13,582, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbaɣ̞a]. vai is at rank #39,008, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈba̠j].

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 52590, this pair ranks #91,992 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vaga vs vai

Shared letters: av. Private to "vaga": g. Private to "vai": i.

"vaga" · 4 letters · shape CVCV  ·  "vai" · 3 letters · shape CVV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vagaavga · baga · vaag · vagga · vgaa · vvaga

Frequency comparison

vaga#13,582
vai#39,008

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vaga" and "vai" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vaga" is an adjective and "vai" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vaga" or "vai"?
"vaga" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #13,582 in our Spanish list, against #39,008 for "vai". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vaga vs vai

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an adjective, it's “vaga”; for a verb, it's “vai”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vaga” 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