virgenvsvirgoWhat's the difference?

Which to use

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

#2,323
“virgen” frequency rank
#19,600
“virgo” frequency rank
21923
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature virgen virgo
Definition Persona que no ha tenido relaciones sexuales, o animal que no se ha apareado Que no ha tenido relaciones sexuales

Where the spellings diverge

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

6 ch
virgen
5 ch
virgo

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. virgen ([ˈbiɾxẽn]) and virgo ([ˈbiɾɣ̞o]) 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 21923, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

virgen is recorded at frequency rank #2,323, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbiɾxẽn]. virgo is at rank #19,600, tagged as anadj, pronounced [ˈbiɾɣ̞o].

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 21923, this pair ranks #252,730 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Orthographic DNA of virgen vs virgo

Shared letters: girv. Private to "virgen": en. Private to "virgo": o.

"virgen" · 6 letters · shape CVCCVC  ·  "virgo" · 5 letters · shape CVCCV

Known mistypes of this pair

  • virgenbirgen · ivrgen · vigren · viregn · virgenn · virggen · virgne · virrgen
  • virgobirgo · ivrgo · virggo · virog · virrgo · vrigo · vvirgo

Frequency comparison

virgen#2,323
virgo#19,600

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "virgen" and "virgo" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently ([ˈbiɾxẽn] versus [ˈbiɾɣ̞o]) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "virgen" or "virgo"?
"virgen" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #2,323 in our Spanish list, against #19,600 for "virgo". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering virgen vs virgo

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 “virgen” 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