Which to use
“vaya” is an intj and “vayan” is a verb - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #718
- “vaya” frequency rank
- #2,056
- “vayan” frequency rank
- 2774
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vaya | vayan |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Indica sorpresa, admiración o disgusto. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de subjuntivo de ir o de irse. |
Where the eye mixes vaya and vayan
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses vaya with vayan
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vaya is [ˈbaʝa] while vayan is [ˈbaʝãn]. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “vaya” sits inside “vayan”, and the parts of speech differ too (intj vs verb), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 2774, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vaya is recorded at frequency rank #718, classified as anintj, pronounced [ˈbaʝa]. vayan is at rank #2,056, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈbaʝãn].
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 2774, this pair ranks #319,673 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vaya vs vayan
Shared letters: avy. Private to "vaya": -. Private to "vayan": n.
"vaya" · 4 letters · shape CVVV · "vayan" · 5 letters · shape CVVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vaya" for "vayan" ever safe?
Which is more common, "vaya" or "vayan"?
Useful next steps
Eye-level mix-up between "vaya" and "vayan" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "vaya" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vayan" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #319,673 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vaya" and "vayan" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vallan vs vayan". 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 #319,673 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.