Which to use
“vale” and “van” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #638
- “vale” frequency rank
- #260
- “van” frequency rank
- 898
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vale | van |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Documento de pago o sustitución de algo. | 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 vale and van
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Visual trap between vale and van
A purely visual mix-up. vale ([ˈbale]) and van ([ˈbãn]) are said differently, so reading them aloud is the quickest way to catch the wrong one. On the page they stay close: they differ by 1 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 898, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vale is recorded at frequency rank #638, classified as anoun, pronounced [ˈbale]. 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 898, this pair ranks #322,820 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vale vs van
Shared letters: av. Private to "vale": el. Private to "van": n.
"vale" · 4 letters · shape CVCV · "van" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vale ← avle · bale · vael · vlae · vvale
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vale" for "van" ever safe?
Frequency check: "vale" vs "van" - which ranks higher?
What to do next
Eye-level mix-up between "vale" and "van" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "vale" 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 #322,820 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vale" 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 #322,820 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.