Which to use
“Valdés” is a name and “vale” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #10,589
- “Valdés” frequency rank
- #638
- “vale” frequency rank
- 11227
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | Valdés | vale |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Apellido | Documento de pago o sustitución de algo. |
Where the eye mixes Valdés and vale
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 3 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses Valdés with vale
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: Valdés is [bal̪ˈd̪es] while vale is [ˈbale]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 2 letter(s) in length, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 11227, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
Valdés is recorded at frequency rank #10,589, classified as aname, pronounced [bal̪ˈd̪es]. vale is at rank #638, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbale].
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 11227, this pair ranks #295,854 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of Valdés vs vale
Shared letters: alv. Private to "Valdés": dsé. Private to "vale": e.
"Valdés" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC · "vale" · 4 letters · shape CVCV
Known mistypes of this pair
- vale ← avle · bale · vael · vlae · vvale
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "Valdés" and "vale" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "Valdés" or "vale"?
What to do next
Pronunciation already separates them, if the page still looks alike, the dictionary links below settle it.
- Full dictionary entry for "Valdés" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vale" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #295,854 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "Valdés" and "vale" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "Baldes vs Valdés". 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 #295,854 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.