vicesvsvierWhat's the difference?

Which to use

“vices” and “vier” are a confusable French pair: similar on the page, but distinct in meaning, check the gloss before you choose.

#16,506
“vices” frequency rank
#41,592
“vier” frequency rank
58098
confusion score

Side-by-Side Comparison

Feature vices vier
Definition Pluriel de vice. Pénis.

Where the spellings diverge

Shared letters are muted; the letters that actually set vices and vier apart are highlighted. They share 3 letters in sequence, which is exactly why the eye skips the difference.

5 ch
vices
4 ch
vier

Spelling & Dictionary Insight

A purely visual mix-up. vices (\visəz\) and vier (\vje\) 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 58098, derived from the frequency rank of both members and their visual similarity.

vices is recorded at frequency rank #16,506, classified as anoun, pronounced \visəz\. vier is at rank #41,592, tagged as anoun, pronounced \vje\.

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 58098, this pair ranks #111,043 of 440,172 scored French confusable pairs - among the most confusable pairs.

Orthographic DNA of vices vs vier

Shared letters: eiv. Private to "vices": cs. Private to "vier": r.

"vices" · 5 letters · shape CVCVC  ·  "vier" · 4 letters · shape CVVC

Known mistypes of this pair

  • vicesivces · vcies · vicces · vicess · vicse · viecs · vvices
  • vierveir · vvier

Frequency comparison

vices#16,506
vier#41,592

Source: FrequencyWords open word-frequency list

Frequently Asked Questions

Can "vices" and "vier" be used interchangeably?
No. They are said differently (\visəz\ versus \vje\) and carry different meanings; reading the sentence aloud is usually enough to catch the wrong one.
Which is more common, "vices" or "vier"?
"vices" is the more common of the two: it sits at frequency rank #16,506 in our French list, against #41,592 for "vier". The two are close in frequency, so neither is a safe default; check the meaning rather than guessing.

Remembering vices vs vier

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 “vices” 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