vaivsvaraWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#39,008
“vai” frequency rank
#10,590
“vara” frequency rank
49598
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vai vara
Definition Tercera persona del singular (el, ela, vostede) del presente de indicativo de ir. Rama fina y larga como las que se usan para golpear o para hacer cercos.

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
vai
4 ch
vara

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vai is [ˈba̠j] while vara is [ˈbaɾa]. 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 noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 49598, 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]. vara is at rank #10,590, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbaɾa].

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 49598, this pair ranks #107,909 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vai vs vara

Shared letters: av. Private to "vai": i. Private to "vara": r.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • varavaar · vraa · vvara

Frequency comparison

vai#39,008
vara#10,590

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vai" and "vara" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vai" is a verb and "vara" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vai" or "vara"?
"vara" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #10,590 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 vai vs vara

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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