Which to use
“vi” is a name and “vis” is a noun - they look or sound alike but fill different roles in a sentence.
- #3,812
- “vi” frequency rank
- #993
- “vis” frequency rank
- 4805
- confusion score
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | vi | vis |
|---|---|---|
| Definition | Éditeur de texte minimaliste créé en 1976 par Bill Joy, n’utilisant que le clavier, et modal : l’effet de la pression sur une touche du clavier dépend du mode dans lequel on se trouve (mode insertion ou mode commande). | Pièce mécanique formée d’un corps qui comporte un filet de forme hélicoïdale et une tête où une empreinte permet d’appliquer un couple ; il en résulte un double mouvement de rotation et de translation. En mécanique, elles sont souvent employées avec des écrous pour former des boulons. |
Where the eye mixes vi and vis
Muted = shared; highlighted = the visual trap. They share 2 letters in sequence.
Why the eye confuses vi with vis
These two trip readers on the page rather than in the ear: vi is \vi.aj\ while vis is \vis\. Spoken aloud the problem disappears. In writing it persists, because they differ by 1 extra letter(s) - “vi” sits inside “vis”, and the parts of speech differ too (name vs noun), which is usually the fastest check. Our composite confusion score for this pair is 4805, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.
vi is recorded at frequency rank #3,812, classified as aname, pronounced \vi.aj\. vis is at rank #993, tagged as anoun, pronounced \vis\.
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 4805, this pair ranks #430,644 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - a relatively easy-to-tell-apart pair.
Orthographic DNA of vi vs vis
Shared letters: iv. Private to "vi": -. Private to "vis": s.
"vi" · 2 letters · shape CV · "vis" · 3 letters · shape CVC
Frequently Asked Questions
Do "vi" and "vis" mean the same thing in a sentence?
Which is more common, "vi" or "vis"?
After this comparison
Visual near-miss handled. Browse the word pages or a neighbour when the next look-alike shows up.
- Full dictionary entry for "vi" with definition, IPA, and generated misspellings. Word entry
- Full dictionary entry for "vis" - compare definitions side by side with the headword page. Word entry
- This pair ranks #430,644 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs in this corpus vintage. Corpus statistics
- "vi" and "vis" also get mixed up with nearby pairs, the highest-scored neighbour is "vi vs viv". Nearby pair
Confusion rank #430,644 of 440,172 scored French pairs, corpus vintage 2026-09-03, not spelling advice.