vayavsvayáisWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vaya is a intj, vayáis is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vaya” is an intj and “vayáis” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#718
“vaya” frequency rank
#38,442
“vayáis” frequency rank
39160
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vaya vayáis
Definition Indica sorpresa, admiración o disgusto. Segunda persona del plural (vosotros, vosotras) del presente de subjuntivo de ir.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vaya and vayáis apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

4 ch
vaya
6 ch
vayáis

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vaya is [ˈbaʝa] while vayáis is [baˈʝajs]. 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 (intj vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 39160, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vaya is recorded at frequency rank #718, classified as anintj, pronounced [ˈbaʝa]. vayáis is at rank #38,442, tagged as averb, pronounced [baˈʝajs].

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 39160, this pair ranks #166,079 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.

Orthographic DNA of vaya vs vayáis

Shared letters: avy. Private to "vaya": -. Private to "vayáis": isá.

"vaya" · 4 letters · shape CVVV  ·  "vayáis" · 6 letters · shape CVVVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vayaavya · vaay · vayya · vvaya · vyaa

Frequency comparison

vaya#718
vayáis#38,442

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vaya" and "vayáis" be used interchangeably?
No - they are not even the same part of speech. "vaya" is an intj and "vayáis" a verb, so a sentence built for one is usually ungrammatical with the other.
Which is more common, "vaya" or "vayáis"?
"vaya" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #718 in our Spanish list, against #38,442 for "vayáis". That is a wide gap, so in ordinary text the rarer spelling is the one worth double-checking.

Remembering vaya vs vayáis

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need an intj, it's “vaya”; for a verb, it's “vayáis”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vaya” 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