vaivsvonWhat's the difference?

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

Which to use

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

#39,008
“vai” frequency rank
#7,806
“von” frequency rank
46814
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vai von
Definition Tercera persona del singular (el, ela, vostede) del presente de indicativo de ir. De.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vai and von apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
vai
3 ch
von

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vai is [ˈba̠j] while von is /fɔn/. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions, and the parts of speech differ too (verb vs preposition), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 46814, 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]. von is at rank #7,806, tagged as aprep, pronounced /fɔn/.

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 46814, this pair ranks #123,572 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vai vs von

Shared letters: v. Private to "vai": ai. Private to "von": no.

"vai" · 3 letters · shape CVV  ·  "von" · 3 letters · shape CVC

Frequency comparison

vai#39,008
von#7,806

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vai" and "von" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vai" is a verb and "von" a preposition, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vai" or "von"?
"von" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #7,806 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 von

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “vai”; for a preposition, it's “von”.
  • 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