Which to use
“vigilan” and “vivían” are a confusable Spanish pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.
- #30,299
- “vigilan” frequency rank
- #7,376
- “vivían” frequency rank
- 37675
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vigilan | vivían |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del presente de indicativo de vigilar. | Tercera persona del plural (ellos, ellas; ustedes, 2.ª persona) del pretérito imperfecto de indicativo de vivir. |
Where the eye mixes vigilan and vivían
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 4 letters in sequence. vigilan runs 7 letters (CVCVCVC) against vivían's 6 (CVCVVC) - the length gap alone is often enough to separate them once you know to check it.
Look-alike desk: vigilan vs vivían
A purely visual mix-up. vigilan ([biˈxilãn]) and vivían ([biˈβ̞iãn]) 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 37675, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vigilan is recorded at frequency rank #30,299, classified as averb, pronounced [biˈxilãn]. vivían is at rank #7,376, tagged as averb, pronounced [biˈβ̞iãn].
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 37675, this pair ranks #174,056 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - roughly mid-pack for confusability.
Orthographic DNA of vigilan vs vivían
Shared letters: ainv. Private to "vigilan": gl. Private to "vivían": í.
"vigilan" · 7 letters · shape CVCVCVC · "vivían" · 6 letters · shape CVCVVC
Known mistypes of this pair
- vigilan ← bigilan · ivgilan · vgiilan · viggilan · vigialn · vigilann · vigillan · vigilna
Frequently Asked Questions
Is swapping "vigilan" for "vivían" ever safe?
In ordinary Spanish text, does "vigilan" or "vivían" show up more?
After this comparison
Eye-level mix-up between "vigilan" and "vivían" is sorted above. Next: full entries or other pairs that share a letter shape.
- Full dictionary entry for "vigilan" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vivían" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #174,056 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vigilan" and "vivían" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vigilaba vs vigilan". 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 #174,056 of 323,831 scored Spanish pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.