Which to use
“vai” is a verb and “vano” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #39,008
- “vai” frequency rank
- #7,502
- “vano” frequency rank
- 46510
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vai | vano |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del singular (el, ela, vostede) del presente de indicativo de ir. | Que no da fruto ni efecto alguno. |
Where the eye mixes vai and vano
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence. vai runs 3 letters (CVV) against vano's 4 (CVCV) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Visual trap between vai and vano
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vai is [ˈba̠j] while vano is [ˈbano]. 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 (verb vs adjective), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46510, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vai is recorded at frequency rank #39,008, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈba̠j]. vano is at rank #7,502, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈbano].
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 46510, this pair ranks #125,307 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vai vs vano
Shared letters: av. Private to "vai": i. Private to "vano": no.
"vai" · 3 letters · shape CVV · "vano" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- vano ← avno · bano · vanno · vaon · vnao · vvano
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vai" for "vano" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "vai" or "vano" show up more?
Useful next steps
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "vai" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vano" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #125,307 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vai" and "vano" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vai vs VOR". 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 #125,307 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.