vagovsvalgoWhat's the difference?

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

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 spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vago and valgo apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
vago
5 ch
valgo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

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

  • vagoavgo · bago · vaggo · vaog · vgao · vvago
  • valgoavlgo · balgo · vaglo · valggo · vallgo · valog · vlago · vvalgo

Frequency comparison

vago#9,054
valgo#29,879

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vago" and "valgo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vago" is an adjective and "valgo" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vago" or "valgo"?
"vago" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #9,054 in our Spanish list, against #29,879 for "valgo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vago vs valgo

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 “valgo”.
  • 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