vagovsvaiWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#9,054
“vago” frequency rank
#39,008
“vai” frequency rank
48062
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vago vai
Definition Que no desea hacer tareas, ni actividad alguna. 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 vago and vai apart are highlighted. They share 2 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
vago
3 ch
vai

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vago is [ˈbaɣ̞o] 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 48062, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vago is recorded at frequency rank #9,054, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbaɣ̞o]. 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 48062, this pair ranks #116,542 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vago vs vai

Shared letters: av. Private to "vago": go. Private to "vai": i.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vagoavgo · bago · vaggo · vaog · vgao · vvago

Frequency comparison

vago#9,054
vai#39,008

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vago" and "vai" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vago" is an adjective and "vai" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vago" or "vai"?
"vago" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,054 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 vago vs vai

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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