Which to use
“vago” is an adjective and “valgo” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #9,054
- “vago” frequency rank
- #29,879
- “valgo” frequency rank
- 38933
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vago | valgo |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Que no desea hacer tareas, ni actividad alguna. | Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de valer. |
Where the eye mixes vago and valgo
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. vago runs 4 letters (CVCV) against valgo's 5 (CVCCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Why the eye confuses vago with valgo
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vago is [ˈbaɣ̞o] while valgo is [ˈbalɣ̞o]. 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 38933, 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]. valgo is at rank #29,879, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbalɣ̞o].
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 38933, this pair ranks #167,306 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vago vs valgo
Shared letters: agov. Private to "vago": -. Private to "valgo": l.
"vago" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "valgo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vago" for "valgo" ever safe?
Frequency check: "vago" vs "valgo" - which ranks higher?
Useful next steps
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "vago" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "valgo" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #167,306 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vago" and "valgo" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "valgo vs vilo". 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 #167,306 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.