Which to use
“vais” is a verb and “van” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #7,934
- “vais” frequency rank
- #260
- “van” frequency rank
- 8194
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vais | van |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de indicativo de ir o de irse. | Vehículo automóvil, de chasis alargado y mayor que el de un turismo, que se emplea para cargas o, a modo de un ómnibus pequeño, para pasajeros. |
Where the eye mixes vais and van
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses vais with van
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vais is [ˈbajs] while van is [ˈbãn]. 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 8194, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vais is recorded at frequency rank #7,934, classified as averb, pronounced [ˈbajs]. van is at rank #260, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbãn].
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 8194, this pair ranks #305,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vais vs van
Shared letters: av. Private to "vais": is. Private to "van": n.
"vais" · 4 letters · shape CVVC · "van" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vais ← bais · vaiss · vasi · vvais
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vais" for "van" ever safe?
Which is more common, "vais" or "van"?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "vais" and "van" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "vais" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "van" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #305,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vais" and "van" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "van 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 #305,731 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.