vigilavsvirilWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vigila is a verb, viril is an adjective, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vigila” is a verb and “viril” is an adjective - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#19,597
“vigila” frequency rank
#41,134
“viril” frequency rank
60731
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vigila viril
Definition Tercera persona del singular (él, ella, ello; usted, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de vigilar. Propio de o relativo a los varones

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vigila and viril apart are highlighted. They share 4 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

6 ch
vigila
5 ch
viril

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

vigila and viril form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They differ by 1 letter(s) in length - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 60731, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vigila is recorded at frequency rank #19,597, classified as averb, pronounced [biˈxila]. viril is at rank #41,134, tagged as anadj, pronounced [biˈɾil].

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 60731, this pair ranks #57,920 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Frequency comparison

vigila#19,597
viril#41,134

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vigila" and "viril" be used interchangeably?
No, "vigila" and "viril" have distinct meanings and cannot be swapped without changing the meaning of a sentence. Understanding the specific definition and context for each word is essential for correct usage.

Remembering vigila vs viril

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

  • Check the role first: if you need a verb, it's “vigila”; for an adjective, it's “viril”.
  • See each word in full, definition, IPA, etymology and its other confusables. Full “vigila” 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 FrequencyWords open word-frequency list