vaivsvaroWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#39,008
“vai” frequency rank
#41,120
“varo” frequency rank
80128
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vai varo
Definition Tercera persona del singular (el, ela, vostede) del presente de indicativo de ir. Bien que se usa para el pago de otros bienes y servicios y como unidad de medida de la riqueza.

Where the spellings diverge

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

3 ch
vai
4 ch
varo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vai is [ˈba̠j] while varo is [ˈbaɾo]. 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 80128, 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]. varo is at rank #41,120, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbaɾo].

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 80128, this pair ranks #12,077 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of vai vs varo

Shared letters: av. Private to "vai": i. Private to "varo": or.

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

Known mistypes of this pair

  • varovaor · vrao · vvaro

Frequency comparison

vai#39,008
varo#41,120

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vai" and "varo" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vai" is a verb and "varo" a noun, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vai" or "varo"?
"vai" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #39,008 in our Spanish list, against #41,120 for "varo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vai vs varo

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 “varo”.
  • 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