viablesvsvilesWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“viables” and “viles” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#23,986
“viables” frequency rank
#34,399
“viles” frequency rank
58385
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature viables viles
Definition Forma del plural de viable. Forma del plural de vil.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set viables and viles apart are highlighted. They share 5 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

7 ch
viables
5 ch
viles

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. viables ([ˈbjaβ̞les]) and viles ([ˈbiles]) 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 2 letter(s) in length. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 58385, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

viables is recorded at frequency rank #23,986, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbjaβ̞les]. viles is at rank #34,399, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈbiles].

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 58385, this pair ranks #66,630 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of viables vs viles

Shared letters: eilsv. Private to "viables": ab. Private to "viles": -.

"viables" · 7 letters · shape CVVCCVC  ·  "viles" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • viablesbiables · ivables · vaibles · viabbles · viabels · viabless · viablles · viablse
  • vilesbiles · ivles · viels · viless · villes · vilse · vlies · vviles

Frequency comparison

viables#23,986
viles#34,399

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "viables" and "viles" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbjaβ̞les] versus [ˈbiles]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "viables" or "viles"?
"viables" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #23,986 in our Spanish list, against #34,399 for "viles". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering viables vs viles

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Read both glosses above and match the meaning you intend, only context separates this pair.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “viables” 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