vilvsvoyWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vil is a adjective, voy is a verb, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

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

#14,253
“vil” frequency rank
#156
“voy” frequency rank
14409
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vil voy
Definition De poco valor. Primera persona del singular (yo) del presente de indicativo de ir o de irse.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vil and voy apart are highlighted. They share 1 letter in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

3 ch
vil
3 ch
voy

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

vil and voy form a confusable pair in the Spanish index, two distinct headwords that are easily confused because they look alike, sound alike, or both. They share most of their letters but differ in 2 positions - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 14409, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vil is recorded at frequency rank #14,253, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbil]. voy is at rank #156, tagged as averb, pronounced [ˈboj].

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 14409, this pair ranks #284,226 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

vil#14,253
voy#156

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vil" and "voy" be used interchangeably?
No, "vil" and "voy" 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 vil vs voy

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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