vivovsvivosWhat's the difference?

Quick tell: vivo is a adjective, vivos is a noun, so they fill different roles in a sentence.

Which to use

“vivo” is an adjective and “vivos” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.

#651
“vivo” frequency rank
#3,662
“vivos” frequency rank
4313
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vivo vivos
Definition Se dice de lo que tiene vida, en oposición a lo que está muerto. Forma del plural de vivo.

Where the spellings diverge

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

4 ch
vivo
5 ch
vivos

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

vivo and vivos 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 extra letter(s) - “vivo” sits inside “vivos” - close enough that the eye skips over the difference, far enough that meaning fully diverges. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4313, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vivo is recorded at frequency rank #651, classified as anadj, pronounced [ˈbiβ̞o]. vivos is at rank #3,662, tagged as anoun, pronounced [ˈbiβ̞os].

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 4313, this pair ranks #316,393 of 323,831 scored Spanish confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.

Frequency comparison

vivo#651
vivos#3,662

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vivo" and "vivos" be used interchangeably?
No, "vivo" and "vivos" 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 vivo vs vivos

The fastest way to pick the right one every time.

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